Out of Reach
by TypicalTypo19
Summary: Some things will never be possible, no matter how badly you want them. Will/Karen - takes place between the last episode of season 2 and the first episode of season 3.
1. Chapter 1

She smashed her lips against his, feeling adrenaline coursing through her veins as their skin made contact. Without even thinking she had thrown her arms around him and closed the space between them in one fluid motion – once again igniting a spark that could not be ignored. She felt his hands wrap around her waist and squeeze tightly for a fleeting second before he slid his hands up to her shoulders. He kept them there as he pulled his face away from hers. He frowned, his eyes searching her face for a moment before he sighed.

"Karen…" he spoke her name softly, gently. He shook his head slowly as his eyes left hers and when he spoke again, his voice was full of resignation.

"I can't do this. You're a friend…I'm gay," Will searched for the right words. "You are so beautiful…but I just don't feel that way about you."

Karen stared blankly back at him, not moving or speaking. She wasn't even sure she was breathing. God, how foolish she felt! Why would she have ever thought that Will could possibly feel about her the way she felt about him? She knew he was gay – of course she knew that, everyone did – but over the last 4 months they had grown so much closer, gotten to be so much more than just friends. Or at least she had thought so.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few silent seconds, Karen exhaled and forced a smile.

"Lord, Wilma, did you think I was going to propose or something?" she asked him sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I don't feel that way about you either," she stated matter-of-factly, as if it should have been obvious.

"Then why did you just kiss me?" he asked her, confused now.

"Well, honey, I mean we've always had a physical relationship…we were just having a good time and I thought we could have some fun, but if you're going to get all weird about it…" she explained. Karen was a quick cover when she needed to be. She had plenty of years' experience of hiding her feelings. This was a no-brainer.

"Right…" he agreed, but there was still an obvious confusion in his voice. She turned away from him, her throat tightening and the familiar sting of the formation of tears beginning behind her eyes.

"Listen, honey, just forget about it," she choked out, her back towards him. Will took a step towards her, his hand outstretched, but stopped himself before his skin made contact with hers. Without saying a word, he sighed, turned, and headed for the door.


	2. Chapter 2

_Five months earlier_

Will quickly pulled the conference room door shut, embarrassed and confused about what he had just witnessed. When he had heard the lilting samba music coming from down the hall, Will had just assumed it was Grace that was in the conference room with Ben. When he opened the door and found Ben slow-dancing on the table with another woman, however, Will was shocked.

He nearly ran back to his office, lost in his thoughts. What would he tell Grace? She would be devastated. He couldn't believe Ben was one of _those_ guys. Will sneered in contempt as he thought about it. He almost didn't notice Karen silently observing his hanging diplomas as he threw open his office door and huffed to his desk.

"Karen, what are you doing here?" he asked her coldly.

Karen turned towards him, swiftly pulling the dark sunglasses from her face and stuffing them into the large wicker purse hanging on her forearm. She looked tired.

"I wanted to talk to you about this thing with Jack," she told him, settling into the leather chair opposite him and crossing her ankles. Her eyes took in Will's suit, striped tie, and finally worried face. He seemed distant and his frown lines were pronounced. "What's with you?"

He hesitated.

"Uh, nothing. Just something with Grace and Ben, it's not important," he answered, trying to sound convincing even as he imagined in his head how Grace would react to the news that her new boyfriend was not being faithful.

Karen shrugged and smoothed the hair along her forehead out of habit. She was interested in the situation, but figured Grace would fill her in later. She was here for one thing and one thing only.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Will questioned again, trying harder to focus on her and not what he had just witnessed in the conference room.

"Well, you know Jack and Rosario are getting divorced," she began, straightening up in her chair now that she knew she had his full attention. Will nodded and leaned in to her, his forearms resting on the table in front of him. "So this morning he came into Grace's office with a list of demands for me. It's ridiculous!"

Will sighed. He knew where this was going, and he was glad that Jack had already been in to ask Will to represent him in court, so he wasn't obligated to represent Karen throughout this petty dispute.

"Karen, stop right there. I already talked to Jack, and I'm sorry but I told him I would help him," Will told her, standing from his desk and walking to his door to show her to it. Karen remained in her chair but turned her body to face him.

"What the hell are you talking about, Wilma? You're _my_ lawyer!" she crowed. Will stood his ground.

"Yes, but Jack's my _friend_," he reminded her. He swung open the door and waved his hand in front of it, gesturing for her to leave.

She didn't let it show on her face, but Karen was hurt. She knew that of the four of them, she and Will had the most distant relationship, but she did consider him a friend. She was used to having people reject her friendship – she knew she wasn't the most likeable person in the world – but for some reason Will's statement was like a slap in the face.

"I see," Karen said quietly. She threw her purse over her shoulder and stood to leave. As she crossed in front of Will, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her escape. She looked at him, puzzled. His face softened. There was now a mere six inches between their bodies, and Karen looked down at his hand around her slender forearm. She looked back up at him.

"You know what I mean," Will half-whispered. It was as close to an apology as she was going to get, but he couldn't help but feel that his words had impacted her more than she let on.

Karen nodded slightly, then rolled her eyes before breaking his hold on her and striding out of his office. He watched her disappear down the hall and round the corner before closing the door and settling back down behind his desk.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, and Will was feeling worse than ever about his current situation. After telling Grace that Ben was seeing someone else, she had revealed to him that she was also seeing someone else. At least she had felt bad when Will told her he quit his job over her and Ben's situation. Well, that and the fact that Ben was trying to force Will into representing Karen in arbitration instead of Jack. To make matters worse, Alex, the guy Will had been seeing, had just dumped him over the phone after growing tired of Will's excuses for not going out with him. Will had been really into this guy – but he had put his friends and his work before his own relationship, and had blown it again.

So here he was, suddenly jobless and boyfriendless, with Jack living in his apartment after being kicked out by Karen. Grace had tried to help – _We fix each other; it's what we do – I'm going to fix you – _but Will knew that Grace couldn't help him this time. He needed to get outside of himself, get away from the nagging friends and the corporate ladders of Manhattan and give himself time to get his life back in order. This was something he was going to have to do for himself – alone.

Before he knew it, he was on a red eye flight to the Virgin Islands. He had one suitcase, no return ticket, and a heart full of hope. He had left without a word to anyone except Jack, to whom he merely instructed not to let Guapo or Claus poop on anything valuable. And then he was off.

As he settled into his seat in coach on the large jet, Will sighed. He looked out of the window next to him. The runway looked like a black river in the dark of the night, a stark contrast to the sparkling lights of Manhattan across the way. It had been a long time since he had spent any time in nature, seen anything other than concrete and skyscrapers. He was anxious to feel the sand between his toes and the warm sun on his face in the Caribbean.

The "fasten seatbelt" light dinged on, and Will noticed shapes moving through the crack in the curtain that led to the first class seating area. Will was only barely paying attention as the back of a large man came into sight and slowly situated himself in one of the large, leather seats. He was followed by a much smaller figure, whose only distinguishable feature through the curtain was the white fur coat she was wearing.

Just seconds after the two figures sat down, a flight attendant appeared in front of the curtain to give the safety demonstration, blocking the two passengers in first class from Will's view. As the pre-recorded voice droned on about oxygen masks and life vests, Will's eyelids grew heavy. He felt the plane lurch forward beneath him as they began to taxi down the runway.

The plane began accelerating rapidly, and Will braced himself for lift off. Planes didn't particularly frighten him, but he was slightly nervous tonight since he and Grace hadn't done the chicken dance to ensure that the plane didn't go down. He felt foolish for his nerves, and smiled to himself as he thought of Grace and their silly ritual. He felt bad for just leaving like this and not telling her, but was also pleased with himself for being so bold.

Will watched the lights of New York City twinkle beneath him as the plane circled the city, climbing ever higher into the sky. Once he was sure they were safely in the air, Will leaned his seat back and let sleep overtake him.


	4. Chapter 4

Karen rolled her eyes and reached over to close Stan's mouth that was hanging open as he snored in his seat. She was disgusted by him, but knew she had to keep up appearances since they unfortunately were not alone in first class on this red eye flight to their vacation home in the Virgin Islands. She smiled at the lady across the way who was staring at them before pulling her sleeping mask down over her eyes.

She let out a heavy sigh as she settled back into the over-sized chair and folded her arms in front of her. She was tired, and tried to sleep, but couldn't stop her mind from replaying over and over the scene that had played out earlier that morning at the manse.

_"Who the hell was that?" Sharp words. _

_"Oh, um, one of Walker Inc's accountants." Front door pushed closed. _

_"A colleague? Stan, you run the entire company. Why would some young accountant be showing up on our doorstep at 10 o'clock in the morning?" Heart beating faster._

_"Uh, she uh…umm…" Averted eyes. _

_"Not good enough, Stanley." Whispers. Salty tears. _

_"Karen…let me explain." Sweat beads on forehead. _

_"There is no explanation for cheating on me with that whore, you bastard." Slammed door._

Karen fought back tears as she readjusted her sleeping mask, trying to distract herself from the memory of Stan's confession earlier that morning. She had been angry, so angry, and the best he could do was offer an escape – an unplanned vacation to their villa in the Islands, a chance to be alone, talk through this.

She wasn't sure why she had agreed…probably because she didn't know what else to do. She was scared. Karen hated to admit it, but she was terrified of what was going to happen on this trip. It was do or die; they would either work out the problems in their marriage that had lead up to Stan's infidelity, or it would be over. She wasn't sure which she was more scared of.

When had her life gotten so out of control? How had she let herself allow Jack, her best friend, to move out when she needed him the most? And then how had she let him take her court over it? That's not what friends do. And sleeping with other women is certainly not what husbands were supposed to do. She thought she at least had enough hold over Stanley to prevent that from happening. And then there was Will…somehow his harsh implication of a few days ago that he didn't consider her anything more than a client was troubling her just as much as everything else.

Maybe Stan was right. Maybe this would vacation was coming at a good time. She needed to get a hold on herself, on her life. She had always been in control, until now, and she was going to fight to regain that control.

Stan snorted loudly next to her, waking himself up. She felt him pull her blanket up over her and she pretended to be asleep as he did so. His tender action had no effect on her, if anything it made her resent him more.

"I love you, Karen," he whispered in her ear and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She remained motionless and felt her heart ice over as he said the words. She couldn't wait to get off this airplane.


	5. Chapter 5

When Will opened his eyes, bright sunlight was streaking through the small window he was seated next to. His legs were asleep and he groaned as he stretched them, the unbearable tingle shooting through them. As a stewardess moved down the aisle, he caught her attention.

"Excuse me," he called out as she passed his row.

"Yes?" she smiled as she stopped next to the empty seat next to him.

"How soon until we land?" he asked her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"About twenty minutes," she replied brightly.

"Thanks," he told her. She nodded and continued down the aisle.

Twenty five minutes later, Will was standing in front of the luggage carousel waiting for his suitcase to pass in front of him. It was still quite early in the morning, and the airport was largely empty. His ears perked up as a familiar, high-pitched voice floated over the rest of the quiet conversation to his ears. He froze, closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. _Please God, don't let that be who I think it is_. He prayed silently before reopening his eyes and turning his head in the direction of Karen's voice.

He was immediately disappointed as his eyes instantly spotted Karen, her white fur coat thrown over her arm. Suddenly it clicked with him that she and Stan had been the ones he had seen in first class, and sure enough as he realized this Stan emerged from the men's room and joined Karen and Rosario, who was standing next to her holding one of her bags.

Will watched as he thought about this weird coincidence. Apparently he wouldn't be able to get away completely from his life in Manhattan. Karen spoke to Rosie as Stan moved toward her and placed his hand on the small of her back. Her immediate reaction did not go unnoticed by Will who was slightly surprised to see Karen roughly grab Stan's hand and push it off of her before turning towards the ladies' room. Karen was now facing Will and stopped short as their eyes met.

Will's heart pounded as he considered his next move. Should he say something to her? Luckily for him, before he had the chance to say anything Karen broke their gaze and turned back towards Rosie. Neither she nor Stan had noticed Will and apparently Karen was going to ignore his presence not forty feet away from her. After a few words were exchanged between the three of them, they all turned their backs on Will and began to walk down the long airport corridor in the opposite direction. Karen turned her head and threw one last look at Will. He nodded once at her, and she smiled slightly before looking back in the direction she was walking.

Will sighed as he turned his attention back to the luggage carousel just in time to see his suitcase disappear through the cut out in the wall back into the loading area. He leaned against a pillar as he waited for it to come around again, and desperately hoped that during his stay he would be as far from Karen as he could possibly be on this small island.


	6. Chapter 6

Will clinked his pina colada glass against Ben's and took a huge swallow of the sweet alcoholic beverage. He couldn't believe he had let Ben talk him into doing business while he was on vacation, but he figured it was step one in getting his life back on track. Will had only agreed to take on this new client Ben had lined up for him once it was agreed upon that Will would be made partner at the firm and be given the big corner office, pay raise included.

"Thanks, Will. I knew I could count on you," Ben told Will as he slapped him on the back. Will smiled and took another drink.

"Sure, Ben."

"Listen, I've got to get going, but here's my number and where I'm staying if you need anything. I'll send a car for you tomorrow morning to meet with the client," Ben told Will as he handed him a folded piece of paper.

"Oh, we're not meeting here?" Will asked him, meaning the hotel where he was staying.

"No, he has a villa on the other side of the island, he wanted to meet you there," Ben explained as he trotted down the three steps at the front of the wooden porch to Will's resort cabin. "See you later. And thanks again."

Ben rushed off and Will turned to go back to the lounge chair he had been laying on as he wrote in his journal before Ben had unexpectedly shown up. Will threw the paper on the table next to him and relaxed with his drink, swirling the little umbrella around the top of it. He had been on the island for three days and so far there was no sign of Karen. But for whatever reason, Will couldn't stop thinking about her.

It was so weird that they ended up on the same flight. He hadn't even known she was planning on being out of the country. Maybe she hadn't. He certainly hadn't been planning on it. Then he remembered the weird way she had reacted to Stan when he tried to be affectionate with her in the airport. Obviously Karen wasn't the most loving of creatures, but from what he could tell she did love her husband, and had never been shy to engage in a public display of affection before.

Karen's coldness towards Stan reminded him of his own coldness towards her a week ago in his office when he had implied that they weren't friends. The two of them certainly didn't have an amicable relationship, but it was true that Karen was more than an acquaintance to Will. They had spent a considerable amount of time together, and she always did come through for all of them when the chips were down. She was extremely generous with her money towards Will and Grace, and especially Jack. Will did admire the way she pampered and took care of Jack. Not many people would put up with him like she did. Maybe Karen wasn't so bad after all.

The next morning, Will waited patiently on the steps of the porch for the car to come pick him up to take him to meet his new client. It was there for him at 9:30 sharp for the half-hour ride to the other side of the island.

Will knew they were close when he felt the car slow as they passed over a small bridge to another island, a quarter of a mile from the mainland. As they reached the island and the car rounded a sharp corner, Will was taken aback by the impressive estate that came into view. A large, Caribbean-style villa towered in front of them, flanked by huge trees and impressive landscaping. The car pulled up to a gate labeled "15" and Will hopped out.

He rang the small bell hanging off of the gate as he passed beneath the archway into a courtyard full of vegetation and landscape ornaments. A sweet smell was wafting towards him from the house, and he looked around for any sign of life. He stopped in front of a garden fountain as a servant approached him.

"Can I help you?" the young man asked in a native accent.

"Oh, hello, I'm Will Truman, the attorney. I have a ten o'clock appointment," Will told him, and smiled as he took off his sunglasses.

"The mister is not feeling well. We tried to tell him that goat does not agree with everybody," the man explained to him. Will raised his eyebrows. "But, the missus is right over dere," he finished, pointing towards a round, hanging wicker chair facing the opposite direction. Will thanked him and walked over to where he could see the figure of a dark-haired woman curled up in the chair.

"Good morning," he greeted her, leaning in to get her attention. The chair swung around slowly to face him, and his face fell as it was revealed that it was Karen sitting in it, cradling a baby tiger in her arms. She had dark sunglasses on, a flower in her hair, and her frown lines were carved particularly deep.

"Well, well, well," she shrilled, pulling her sunglasses to the end of her nose and glaring at Will over the top of them. "And they say fruit doesn't travel." She pushed her glasses back onto her face and swung the chair back around, turning her back on Will.

Will stood in shock for a second before regaining his composure and moving around to the other side of the chair, placing himself back in Karen's line of sight.

"You own this place?" Will asked her incredulously. She didn't look at him.

"Rent it," she corrected. They were silent for a short while before Will sat down in a chair across from her and put his briefcase on his lap.

"So…I was supposed to meet with Stan about an off-shore merger. I don't suppose you know anything about that?" Will asked, realizing he had just come to the other side of the island to talk to someone who probably knew nothing about this deal.

"No, I don't," Karen told him, looking down at the tiger cub in her arms. "Figures…" she mumbled.

"What was that?" Will asked, leaning in closer. Karen glared up at him over the top of her sunglasses.

"I said it figures. Not that it's any of your business, but we're supposed to be here on vacation, to be alone, and he's already doing business," Karen explained, speaking of her absent husband.

Will felt this was an odd thing for Karen to tell him, and began to feel uncomfortable. He stood.

"I should go," he told her. "Call me when Stan is feeling up to meeting with me."

"Will? Wait," she called after him before he could reach the gate. He stopped and turned towards her. "Stay with me?" she asked him. Her voice was softer now, her face gentle.


	7. Chapter 7

Will burst into laughter as Rosario reached between him and Karen to remove the half-empty tray of BLT sandwiches that was sitting on the table between them. Karen had just finished the story of Stan's aversion to goat meat. Will had to hand it to her, she was a great story teller. They had shared lunch together and had been sitting and chatting for the past half an hour. Surprisingly, they conversation flowed easily and wasn't awkward or forced at all.

They finished laughing and the conversation came to an abrupt halt as Karen and Will stared into each other's eyes. They just looked at each other for a minute, smiling, before Karen broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, Will, I shouldn't have asked you to stay," she apologized, looking down at her hands. "You probably have other things you wanted to do today."

"No, actually…I don't really have any plans for while I'm here," he confessed to her.

"Really?" she asked, looking back up at him. She cocked her head to one side and frowned when he shook his head. "Why are you here?"

"That's a good question," he admitted, resting the side of his face in one of his palms. "I just needed to get away from Manhattan…from Grace, and Jack…" his voice trailed off.

"And me," she finished for him. She looked intently into his eyes, not embarrassed or uncomfortable about the truth she had just spoken. Her forthrightness encouraged him, and he met her gaze.

"Yeah," he breathed. They stared at each other. Karen didn't ask for any kind of apology, and Will didn't offer one so he moved on. "Why are _you_ here?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"Same reason as you, I guess," she took a drink of a pink liquid from her glass. "Like I said, this was supposed to be a vacation."

Will wanted to press the issue further, but wasn't sure if he should. He and Karen were just getting comfortable with each other and he wasn't sure if he wanted to backtrack on that. He was impressed with their ability to be honest with each other about their relationship and just accept it for what it was. They didn't feel the need to play games with each other, and he was thankful for that. She was maybe the only person in his life right now that he didn't feel the need to please.

"Do you come here a lot?" he asked, figuring it was a safe question.

"We come here…occasionally," she answered cryptically. She wasn't ready to tell him that she and Stan only came here when things were bad, that this beautiful island and the serenity of the landscape was somehow supposed to be the magic key to making their marriage work.

"I bet Mason and Olivia love it here," Will guessed, referring to Stan's two kids from a previous marriage. Karen crinkled up her nose.

"Actually, they've never been here," she responded. "This is kind of supposed to be a romantic get-away, I guess."

"I see," Will nodded in agreement.

"So what's Grace doing with herself while you're here?" Karen asked him.

"I'm not sure…I didn't actually tell her I was leaving," Will told her. Karen's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You didn't tell her?" she asked in disbelief. Wow, Will was getting ballsy.

"Nope," he responded, and she didn't miss the pride in his voice.

"Wow, what a badass," she teased him and he nodded, amused. Will took the light-hearted mood as an opportunity to get something off of his chest.

"Listen, Karen, I'm sorry for what I said in my office last week," his voice was sincere. He may have been enjoying the fact that they didn't feel the need to apologize to each other, but he had been feeling bad about the incident and wanted her to know.

"Oh, honey, forget about it," she told him, waving her hand in front of her face. He leaned towards her across the table and took her hand in his. She looked down at them.

"I know we're short with each other a lot, but I don't want you to think that I don't consider you a friend. Because I do," he told her, and smiled. She just nodded, and that was enough for him to know that she felt the same way, and that it was water under the bridge.

Rosario appeared in the doorway.

"Mr. Will? Your car's here," she told him. He stood.

"Oh, ok. Thanks, Rosario."

Karen stood up also to walk him out. As they passed through the courtyard Will thanked Karen for lunch. As they reached the gate and the waiting car, Karen suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach, as if this was the kiss-goodnight-at-the-end-of-the-date moment. She felt stupid having such an irrational thought, but was nonetheless still a little nervous as she spoke.

"So um, why don't you come by again tomorrow and maybe Stan will be feeling better," she asked him, knowing full well that she had an ulterior motive for the invitation. She had actually really enjoyed spending time with him.

Will seemed a little caught off guard, but nodded.

"Sure," he agreed, and opened the door to car.

"Ok," she confirmed happily. "Bye, Will," she told him as she closed the door of the car for him. He smiled and she watched as the car drove around the corner and out of sight.


	8. Chapter 8

The week passed just like that; Will visited the Walker villa every day that week at precisely 10 o'clock. He was really visiting Karen, since only one of those days had been spent actually talking to Stan about the business transaction.

Will and Karen spent most days eating lunch in the courtyard, enjoying the garden and the fresh air. There were there again today, this time on a colorful picnic blanket in the middle of the garden, sipping daiquiris and munching on finger sandwiches. The conversation was light, as it had been every day so far.

Karen cleared her throat and set down her glass. She scooted herself closer to Will and playfully ran her index finger up and down his arm.

"So, I was thinking…"she drew out the words.

"Yes?" he asked, after swallowing a bite of sandwich.

"Well, you're here so often and your hotel is so far away…why don't you just come stay here?" she finished, looking up at him expectantly. He coughed on his sandwich, surprised.

"Are you serious?" he questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, honey! It doesn't make any sense for you to be paying so much to be so far away when you're here every day anyway…and of course we wouldn't charge you anything. We have a guest house you could stay in," she explained, hurriedly.

Will chewed another bite of sandwich as he looked at her, thinking. It did make sense. The hour-long round trip drive to and from the villa everyday was getting tedious. Staying here would make both Stan and Karen a lot more accessible. Wow, that was weird. A week ago he had prayed that he wouldn't have to deal with Karen at all while he was here, but now he looked forward to seeing her every day.

"Is Stan ok with that?" he asked, his mouth still full.

"It was his idea," she lied, busying herself with the napkin folded on her lap. She hadn't thought about how Stan would feel about that, but he knew Will was gay, it wasn't like there was anything going on between them. He would understand. She made a mental note to talk to him about it later.

"Ok," Will agreed. "If you're sure it's no trouble."

"No, honey, it's no trouble at all!" Karen exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'll be glad to have someone around here that I can talk to!" She threw her arms around his neck and her warm body pressed against his.

This really caught Will by surprise. He hesitantly circled his arms around her waist, returning her embrace. This was Karen's first real gesture of friendly intimacy with Will, and he smiled as she kissed his cheek and pulled away from him.

"So just bring your stuff with you tomorrow when you come and we'll get you all set up," Karen instructed. Will nodded and reached an arm out to rub her back affectionately.

"Sounds good," he agreed. She clapped her hands in delight.

"This is going to be so fun!" she told him. "But if I start acting like Grace, let me know," she laughed. "That would just be plain sad."

Will laughed and lightly pushed her away.

"Hey, let me show you the guest house," Karen said, standing up off the blanket and extending her hand to Will to help him up.

"Ok," he agreed, taking her hand. Their eyes met as she helped him up before leading him the back corner of the garden towards the small guest house.

From an upstairs window, Stan silently watched them. It was becoming painfully obvious that so far Karen was having a much better time on the island with Will than she was with him. He knew it was probably his own fault, after all, he was the one that had cheated on her. But he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He sighed and turned away from the window, the sound of their laughter from below echoing painfully in his ears.


	9. Chapter 9

Karen tapped lightly on the frame of the door to Stanley's office, which was standing open.

"Come in," he called, not looking up from the papers in front of him. Stan was seated on the couch across from door, his emerald green terrycloth robe just barely covering him. He looked up over his half-moon glasses as Karen stood leaning in the doorway. She folded her arms across her chest.

"I asked Will to come stay with us," she told him frankly. He looked back down at the paper in his hands.

"Wow, you cut right to the chase don't you," he mused sarcastically. "So when's the wedding?"

Karen rolled her eyes but ignored his comment.

"It just makes sense. Seeing as he's doing with business with you," she rationalized.

"Yeah but he comes here to see you," Stan countered, turning to a new page of the document he was holding. Again, Karen ignored this comment.

"So he's bringing his stuff with him tomorrow. I told him he could stay in the guest house. Is that ok with you?"

She didn't really care if it was.

"Yeah, that's fine," he answered vacantly. He put the document down and looked up at her. "If you have sex with me tonight."

Her body tensed and disgust ran across her face.

"Jesus, Stanley. You're really going to use that as a bartering tool?" she asked him maliciously.

"That depends…is it going to work?" he asked her innocently, raising an eyebrow and focusing on her breasts.

"No, it's not!" she cried. "You _cheated_ on me Stan! Having sex with you is the last thing I want to do right now!"

"Well then what do you want to do? You don't want to be intimate with me, you don't even want to talk to me! God, Karen, it seems like you don't even want to be with me anymore," he sighed, defeated.

It was true that Karen had been very resistant to trying to solve any of their marital problems. They had come there to work things out, but they hadn't even touched the subject yet. They had been sleeping in different rooms and Karen avoided Stan as much as possible.

"Well, maybe that's because I'm not sure if I do," Karen whispered, looking at the floor. Silence.

"And you think having Will moving in here is going to help you make that decision?" Stan demanded.

"When did I ever say that?" Karen was angry now. "Will's got nothing to do with this."

"Will's got everything to do with this!" Stan yelled, standing. Karen took a step backward.

"We didn't come here so you could run off and fool around with your gay lawyer friend all day!" he continued.

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you started doing business with him on our VACATION!" she shot back. Stan shook his head and sat back down.

"I don't get it, Karen. I thought you didn't even like Will," he questioned, searching her face.

She hesitated.

"I don't – it's just stupid to make him pay to stay at that crappy hotel that's so far away when he could stay here with us for free. But is this about Will or about us?" she tried to steer the conversation back to the real issue. Stan pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.

"You know what? Whatever. Do what you want. I don't mind if he stays here, if it will make you happy," he told her, honesty and resignation in his voice.

Karen smiled, pleased. She had won. They still weren't anywhere close to solving their own problems, but at least Karen had gotten her way and Will would be around more for her to talk to.

"Thank you," she told him curtly. He forced a smile and his eyes looked tired, sad. Karen crossed to him and bent down to kiss his cheek. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held one of her hands, pressing his face into her stomach and holding her close to him for a moment. She didn't move, just let him embrace her limp frame.

"I love you, Karen," he told her softly. He hadn't said it since that night on the plane when he thought she was sleeping. The words didn't make her chill this time, though, like they had that night. She didn't say them back, but she couldn't hold back a single tear that ran down her cheek and landed on the top of his head.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh, sorry," Will apologized quickly and averted his eyes from Karen's topless form lounging on a blanket, leaned against a tree. Karen laughed, pulling her bikini top back on and clasping it behind her.

"Honey, its ok," she told him, standing and walking to him. "I show everybody my boobs, you think I would be embarrassed by this?"

He turned to face her, a smile creeping across his face.

"I know, I just didn't want you to think I was creeping up on you or something perverted," he explained, the blush in his cheeks slowly fading out.

"No, no, it's fine," Karen assured him, grabbing his hand and pulling him down next to her on the blanket. "How'd you find me here?" she asked him. She was sitting in a little clearing off the private beach behind the house. It was slightly off the beaten path, but she had found it the first time she and Stan came there and it quickly became her favorite secret spot on the island.

"Well to be honest I wasn't really looking for you," Will said, crossing his legs Indian-style and grabbing a handful of sand. "I was just kind of exploring….and then here you were!" he laughed, letting the sand fall through his fingers. It was Will's first full day at the villa, and Karen had been mysteriously absent all day, even when he had arrived with his suitcase to get settled.

"Well I'm glad you're here," she told him, patting his leg. She had been avoiding him all day, not wanting to seem overly excited about his arrival, especially if Stan was going to be watching them. But now that they were alone she could let her guard down.

Will observed Karen's bikini-clad body. Her skin looked especially pale against the black bathing suit, but somehow it worked for her. Her skin was perfectly smooth and flawless, nothing that a tan needed to hide. He was slightly surprised by how fit she was. He had never thought of her as being overweight – not at all – but in comparison to the skeletal Grace, she did have some meat on her bones. Looking at her nearly nude body now, Will realized that her body certainly had more presence than Grace's, but there was not an ounce of fat to be found on her. She was much more feminine than Grace.

Karen noticed Will looking at her and smiled on the inside.

"Lord, Wilma, don't go turning straight on me now," she teased, leaning back on her elbows and crossing one leg over her other knee.

"Sorry," Will smiled. "I'm just so used to seeing you buttoned-up," he explained. She nodded.

"Ah, but dis is de islands, man!" she exclaimed in a faux Caribbean accent. He chuckled and laid down beside her, folding his hands behind his head and looking up at the clear blue sky. He sighed heavily and she turned on her side to face him, balancing on one elbow.

"So, how is your quest for the meaning of life going?" she asked him as he continued to look at the sky.

"Eh. I have my job back, so I've got that going for me," he told her, his voice lacking excitement. "And I'm a partner now."

"Will, congratulations! I didn't know," Karen told him. He turned his head to look at her.

"Yeah, thanks," he said.

"So when do you think you're going to go back to the city?" she asked.

"I don't know. Whenever I feel ready, I guess. But as of right now, not for awhile. The thought of going back to that apartment still makes me sick to my stomach," he explained. She nodded in understanding.

"Were things really that bad?"

Will told her the whole story, starting with Grace and Ben hooking up, the trouble with the potential new boyfriend, and finally how he had come to quit his job. Karen felt slightly guilty when he got to that part.

"But what about you? Has your vacation been satisfactory?" Will questioned. He still wasn't entirely sure why she and Stan were there in the first place. Karen laid back down on the blanket before she answered.

"Not really," she answered, pulling her sunglasses over her eyes. Will waited for her to expound, but after several seconds of silence, realized she wasn't going to. Now was not the time for him to dig deeper, so he tried to push his curiosity to the back of his mind. Maybe Karen would never open to him. They had only been true friends for a little over a week. He had no way of judging how long it would take her to open up about something like that, or if she ever would. She was an enigma.

Karen sat up and tugged on the big straw hat that had been lying on the sand next to her. She turned to Will.

"Do you have your bathing suit on?" she asked him. He nodded. She jumped up and took a few strides toward the edge of the water. "Then let's go!" she playfully called to him.

Will stood up, perplexed. He had never, ever, seen this side of Karen before. He liked it. He was glad that he was there with her. They were both looking for the same thing, and maybe together they would find it.

"Are you coming?" she yelled as the tide washed over her feet and ankles and she held onto her hat with one hand. He answered her by pulling his t-shirt off and running towards her. He scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, then ran deeper into the ocean and tossed her into the waves as she screamed with delight.


	11. Chapter 11

A few evenings later, Will was sitting at his desk in the guest house going over some paperwork as the sun set when he realized that there was a document that Stan hadn't signed that he needed to send out first thing in the morning. Will tapped his pen against the desk, aggravated, and looked at the clock. It was only 8, so he figured Stan would still be in his office.

He hurried across the courtyard to the side door that he knew led into the wing of the house that Stan's office was in. Will closed the door behind him and strode down the hall to the office. He stopped a few feet in front of it when he heard raised voices. The door was cracked open a few inches, and he could barely make out the right side of Karen's body, her back to him.

She was standing and gesturing wildly with the hand he could see through the opening in the door as she spoke to Stan.

"…sex with her?!" Karen exclaimed – Will only caught the tail end of her sentence, but it was enough for him to guess what this argument was about, and probably the whole reason they were on the island. Stan spoke next.

"I don't know…it just happened!"

"It 'just happened', Stan?"

"Yes, it just happened!" Stan reiterated. Will watched as part of Stan came into view and Karen shifted her posture. She leaned forward slightly, and reached her hand up to rub her face, giving her time to think before she spoke again.

"Honestly, that just makes this situation even worse," she told Stan at a more normal volume.

"What? Why? Isn't that a good thing? I'm telling you it's not because I don't love you anymore!" Stan answered. He was still shouting as he moved more into Will's line of vision. Will could now see Stan's face, but Stan was so focused on Karen in front of him that Will wasn't worried about being seen.

"No! That's horrible! If it was because of something I had done, or something I wasn't doing for you, then we could fix this!" Karen shouted back. "But if it _just happened_ – and you don't know why – then there's nothing to fix and it could just as easily happen again!"

"Well Karen, what the fuck do you want me to do about it?" Stan yelled, throwing his hands up angrily.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Karen yelled back, moving towards Stan and throwing her arms up, mirroring his.

Just then, Stan looked up from Karen's eyes and met Will's gaze on the other side of the door. His face became livid as he slowly lowered his arms and continued to stare at Will. Will was frozen to the spot.

"What are you – " Karen asked Stan, her voice softer now, but still agitated as she realized she had lost his attention. She stopped short as she turned to follow Stan's gaze and saw Will. Will dropped his gaze from Stan to Karen, then back to Stan again, who was now watching Karen to see what she would do. The paper Will was clutching in his left hand shook involuntarily as Will took a step toward the door.

"I…Karen, I – I'm so sorry," Will mumbled, a look of panic on his face. The look Karen gave him was icy and he knew she was pissed. Suddenly she rushed towards the door, and began to push it closed.

"Get out of here," she hissed through clenched teeth as she slammed the door closed in his face. Will exhaled and retreated towards the door. Those documents would just have to wait, he supposed.

Meanwhile, Karen spun around and pressed her back to the door, her breathing heavy.

"I'm sorry," she told Stan. He shrugged, clearly wanting to move past the awkward incident that had just occurred.

"Karen, I don't know what to tell you," he stated, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "I've apologized a thousand times, I've been honest with you, I've told you I love you…"

Karen scoffed.

"Well congratulations. Do you want a cookie?" she asked sarcastically. "You've lost my trust, Stanley," she continued, her voice breaking. "You broke the sanctity of our marriage." The tears were falling now and she struggled to get the words out. Stan was stunned – in all their years of being together, he had actually never seen Karen cry. "You think words can fix this? Your words are worthless now," she finished, frantically wiping the tears from her face.

Stan didn't try to argue. He knew she was right. The best he could do was go to her and wrap his arms around her. At first, she let him, but it didn't take long before she was squirming beneath his grasp, pushing him away from her.

"No."

She threw open the door and walked out, slamming it behind her. She wanted to go to Will, but she knew she couldn't after what had just happened. Plus, she was much too vulnerable right now, she had to be alone. She knew exactly what she needed.


	12. Chapter 12

Will tossed and turned under the soft Egyptian cotton sheets of the guest house. He couldn't place his finger on what was troubling him, he just had an uneasy feeling. He kicked the sheet off of his hot legs and shoved his pillow over his head.

He focused on breathing in and out slowly and tried to clear his mind. He fixated on the blackness of his eyelids, willing them to resist showing him any images his brain may conjure up. After counting to 100 and still not feeling the least bit tired, Will gave up.

He sat up and pulled a tight white undershirt over his head. His mouth felt dry and tasted funny. He went into the adjoining bathroom and began to fervently brush his teeth. The mint of the toothpaste stung his tongue and made his eyes water.

After wiping his wet mouth on the soft white towel monogrammed with Karen and Stan's initials, Will stepped out onto the porch. He didn't know what time it was, but it was completely silent and the Walker villa was dark, so he figured it must have been late. He sighed as he leaned his elbows on the railing of the small porch, placing his face in his hands. The air smelled fresh and clean, and crickets chirped softly all around him.

He stared at the big house across the courtyard and wondered how long Karen and Stan had been coming here. He tried to imagine what their life must be like. Obviously right now their marriage wasn't perfect, and he wondered if they were still sleeping in the same bed, the same room, even. As his eyes traced the pattern of the large windows and purple shutters of the house, Will imagined a time when Karen and Stan were happy. He tried to picture her as the perfect housewife, loving and doting on Stan happily. He tried to picture him loving her back, looking at her as more than a piece of meat. His eyes wandered to the top story of the house and he wondered which room was theirs.

His question was immediately answered as just then a dim light flipped on in the room farthest from him, at the corner of the house. The curtains were drawn in front of the window, but through their thin fabric Will watched as Karen's silhouette appeared.

The large windows wrapped around the corner of the room and allowed his gaze to follow her as she moved about the room. He couldn't tell what she was doing, but he could tell she was definitely alone. He watched her for several minutes before the light went off again and she disappeared from his sight. Thinking he was alone again, Will settled into the hammock hanging on the opposite of the porch and closed his eyes. Seeing Karen had eased his mind, somehow – relaxed him. He wasn't sleepy yet, but he was definitely headed in that direction.

Will's eyes snapped open as he heard the sound of a sliding door being opened and closed roughly. He sat up in the hammock and looked up towards the room he had just seen Karen in. The light was still off, but in the moonlight he could just make out her shape on the balcony outside of the room.

He watched, motionless, as she fumbled with the latch on the sliding door, a martini glass in her hand, its contents slopping over her hand as she struggled with the door. So she was drunk, he noted, not surprised.

"_Shit,"_ she whispered as the martini glass slipped from her hand and shattered loudly on the cement floor of the balcony. She hadn't said it loudly, but it was so quiet and the air was so still that her voice carried clearly to Will on the hammock across the little garden of the courtyard.

Will watched her to see what her next move would be. She remained perfectly still for several seconds, probably waiting to see if the crash of the martini glass had awoken anyone in the house. When no other lights turned on and they both realized that no one had heard the commotion, Karen's posture relaxed and she disappeared around the corner to the other side of the balcony, hidden from Will's view.

He was curious now. What was she doing up so late? Why had she been drinking? Maybe she couldn't sleep either. For whatever reason, Will felt compelled to go to her. He stood up from the hammock and crept to the little gate of the courtyard, not bothering with putting on shoes or pants over his boxers.

He quietly opened the short gate and crossed through the flowers and statuettes to the back door of the Walker house. He knew the door would be unlocked; there was no reason to fear anyone breaking in on this private island, and Rosario liked to keep this door open so that she didn't have to get up as early to let the cook in who came over from the main island every morning.

Will slowly turned the doorknob, his heart beating loudly in his chest. Even though he was no stranger to the Walkers and the door was unlocked, he couldn't help but feel a little like an intruder as he entered their home.

He closed the door quietly behind him and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the kitchen. The only light source was the moonlight coming in from the window over the sink, splashing across the tile floor to show him the way to the rest of the house.

When he could see better, he followed it over to the doorway of the kitchen and moved into the dining room. He had only been in this house a few times before and not in this part of it, so he was completely guessing at where to go next as he moved from room to room.

Eventually he found a staircase in one corner of the house and ascended to the second story where he had seen Karen's room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he made it to the top and realized he had emerged right next to her doorway. His head snapped to the left as he heard Stan's loud snores coming from down the hall. So they weren't sleeping in the same room.

He looked back to closed door directly to his right and swallowed. He knocked on the door softly before pushing it open. The large room was dark and Will scanned the king-sized, canopy bed for any sign of Karen before he proceeded to the large glass wall opposite the door, on the other side of the room. He passed by a small table pushed against the wall that had several bottles of alcohol and a few wet shot glasses sitting on it.

He stopped and picked up each bottle, examining what Karen had been drinking. Svedka raspberry vodka, Johnny Walker, Jose Cuervo tequila, Parrot Bay Captain Morgan rum. It was like a bar. Will was shook his head in disbelief as something shiny caught his eye. Shoved behind one of the few unopened bottles was a small, circular mirror. Will gasped as he moved the bottles out of the way to examine the mirror, remnants of cocaine still dusted across its surface. Karen was more messed up than Will had thought. Now he knew he had to make sure she was alright. He put the bottles back and continued to the sliding glass door he had seen Karen come out of just a few minutes before.

In the darkness, his hands fumbled with the latch to open the door. He now understood her frustration – this was hard for him and he was stone-cold sober. He finally popped the latch into place and slid the door open slowly. The smell of the spilled vodka on the concrete in front of him stung his nostrils. He stepped out onto the balcony, leaving the door open behind him as he moved around the corner to find Karen. When he did, what he saw made him freeze in his tracks.


	13. Chapter 13

"I hoped you would come," Karen said flatly. Her back was to Will, and she was standing precariously on the top of the thick concrete railing that encircled the top level of the house, about ten paces away from him. She didn't turn to look at him as she spoke the words, but reached up with both hands to grasp the edge of the roof above her head. Her long nightgown swirled around her bare feet in the breeze of the night.

Adrenaline pumped through Will's veins. He didn't move at first, not wanting to startle her. He looked past her to the ocean. It was black and looked menacing tonight. While he was exploring the island on his first day at the villa, Will had noted how the large house was actually built on a hill, and backed up to a bluff over an inlet in the bay. His head reeled as he remembered this and realized that they were on the side of the house that was built over the sharp, rocky drop off.

When Karen had found her balance, she removed her hands from the roof and slowly lowered them so that her arms were straight out beside her, forming perfect 90 degree angles from her shoulders.

"Karen, what are you doing?" Will asked, speaking each word slowly and gently. He carefully took three steps toward her.

"I'm living," she answered simply, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in. As she opened her eyes again she became disoriented, the drugs and alcohol in her system inhibiting her body's normal ability to steady itself. Her torso twisted as she tried to find her balance, her hands failing about.

Will panicked and reached for her, but she steadied herself before his intervention was needed. She threw a hand out toward him to stop him from advancing any closer.

She was standing at a 45 degree angle now between the black ocean in front of her and the corner of the railing to her right. The side of her face was now visible to Will, and she glanced in his direction as she continued their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Isn't that why we're both here? To do things we would never do otherwise?"

Will's eyes never left her as he took another two steps towards her, and he chose his words carefully when he answered.

"That's why I'm here…but I thought you were here because Stan cheated on you?" the question was more of a statement and the words cut through her numb body like knives. She nodded slowly and turned back to face the darkness in front of her.

"I guess that's not a secret anymore," she laughed, bitterly. Will didn't know what to say. One more step.

"I…I didn't know you were suicidal," he said, framing the statement almost as a question. She took it as one.

"I'm not," she shrugged, looking down at the black water slapping the bed of sharp rocks 40 forty feet directly below her. Panic flashed across her mind before she looked back up towards the dark horizon.

"Then why are you standing on a ledge above a bunch of razor-sharp rocks and ferocious waves?" he pushed a little harder. Another step.

"Am I?" she questioned, dazed. The cocaine had really clouded her mind now. She couldn't tell if she felt scared or exhilarated, but there was one thing she knew for certain. "I don't want to die," she choked out, the words barely escaping her mouth.

Will furrowed his brows. This woman was truly tormented, more than any of them had ever known. She was using hardcore drugs and the love of her life was having an affair. Will's chest grew tight as he felt the overwhelming urge to protect Karen, to make this right for her.

Two more steps.

"You're not going to."

"Why not? Why shouldn't I? I've lost my husband, I've lost Jackie, I lost the baby…" she trailed off, realizing in her semi-lucid state the secret she had just let slip.

Will caught his breath but didn't move closer to her. He hadn't known she was pregnant – did Grace know? Did Stan even know? A million things raced through Will's mind, but he figured now, as Karen teetered inches from her likely death, was not the time to press the subject. He took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly, letting the silence wash between them.

"But you've found me."

The words caressed Karen's psyche and she felt emotion welling up in her throat and behind her eyes. She reached one hand up to the roof again to steady herself as she slowly turned to face him. He didn't miss the tears in her eyes.

He was just a step from the railing now, and he extended a hand to her, a silent plead for her to come down from the ledge. She smiled slightly as she placed her small hand in his.

Suddenly, Karen's feet flew out from beneath her as she let out a small cry. Will dove towards her as he body disappeared behind the railing. He pressed his stomach against the concrete and leaned over as far as he could, clutching her hands as she dangled beneath him.

Her terrified eyes jumped around as she thrashed and kicked her legs below her.

"Will! Help me!" she cried, pleading with him.

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" he responded, frantic. Their hands were growing sweaty and he feared he would soon lose his grip on her. The dark water splashed violently against the rocks below her. He felt sweat bead up on his forehead.

"I can pull you up, Karen, but I'm going to have to let go of one of your hands," he told her, starting to feel the weight of her body in his forearms.

Karen hesitated. Her hold around his wrists was the only thing keeping her from falling right now. She locked her eyes with his, and for a fleeting instant, everything else melted away. He was the only thing she needed now.

"Save me," she whispered. He nodded vigorously, their eyes still locked. He knew her words had more than one meaning.

Carefully, Will broke his grip on Karen's left wrist and as he felt that side of her body swing lower, in fluid motion he pulled her closer to him with the hand that was still on hers, bringing her close enough to him so that he could hook his hand under her armpit. Once he had a good grip on her there, he did the same with his other hand. She placed her hands as far up on his arms as she could reach and squeezed tightly.

Will leveraged himself against the railing and threw his weight backwards as Karen came over the rail in front of him. They landed on the hard cement balcony, Karen laid out along the length of Will's body, her face on his chest.

Their breathing was heavy for a few minutes and they didn't speak. Will was so relieved to have her down on solid ground, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly. He felt her squirm her body slightly up so that their faces were equal. He stared up into her unreadable eyes as she looked down at him.

Before either of them could stop it, the space between their faces disappeared as Will hungrily kissed her willing mouth. She reciprocated, attacking his lips and running her hands through his hair.

After a several seconds of this, Karen rolled off of Will and onto her side next to him. He looked at her, confused about what had just happened and slightly relieved that she ended it. She looked tired, strung out.

"Stay with me?" she breathed, resting her head on his shoulder and pressing her body against the side of his. He just nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist as she drifted out of consciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

Morning sunlight streaked through the thin curtains and fell across Karen's face as she slowly opened her eyes. She sat up in the middle of the big, empty bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to recall how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered clearly was that last line of cocaine. She sighed and rubbed her forehead as she realized that she had turned to a vice last night that she hadn't used in years.

She ignored the throbbing pain in her head as she headed into the large bathroom adjacent from her bed and turned on the shower. As the water was warming up, she assessed herself in the mirror. She was still wearing yesterday's make up and her silk nightgown was wrinkled. She reached up and ran a hand through her hair, pulling out a few small tangles with her fingers.

She slid the straps of her nightgown down off of her shoulders and let the fabric fall around her ankles. She took one last look in the mirror before stepping into the shower, noticing something odd. She raised her right arm and examined the purple bruise forming where her arm met the soft skin of the side of her breast. What the hell could that have been from?

Karen shrugged it off and stepped into the shower. She closed her eyes, letting the warm water caress her skin. As she began to wash her hair, images from the night before sporadically flashed before her eyes. _Shattered glass… dizzy...salty tears…sharp rocks…Will…_Will? Why had Will been there? Wasn't she still mad at him for listening in on her argument with Stan? And what had she told him in her altered state?

A few hours later, and Karen was headed to her secret spot on the beach. As she approached and saw Will's tan form stretched out across the sand there, she slowed her pace. She still wasn't sure what had happened with Will last night, and felt very unprepared to deal with him. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel a little happy that he was there.

Will sat up abruptly as he noticed Karen coming towards him, her pink sarong flowing behind her in the wind.

"Hi," she said quietly, stopping in front of where he was sitting, her arms folded across her chest. Will snapped his journal shut and looked up at her.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked gently. He didn't know how much she remembered about last night, and wanted to give her the chance to be alone in her private spot if that's what she needed right now.

Karen frowned at him, confused. Now she was really curious about what had happened. She shook her head.

"Can I sit?" she asked him, gesturing to the soft blanket he was lounging on.

"Of course," Will told her, scooting over. She sat down next to him, her knees drawn up to her chest. He silently observed her as she stared straight ahead of her, out into the sparkling blue ocean before them. He wished he could see her eyes behind her dark sunglasses. She didn't look nearly as peaceful now as she had this morning, when he had gently placed her in her bed as the sun was beginning to rise.

The two of them shared a comfortable silence for almost half an hour before Karen spoke. She turned to Will, who was now sitting Indian style next to her, scribbling furiously in his journal.

"Aren't you a little old to be keeping a diary, Wilma?"

"It's not a diary – it's a journal."

"Whatever…what are you writing about?"

Will quickly closed the small leather book as Karen leaned over to get a glimpse at the pages. He leaned away from her, frowning. Karen rolled her eyes and flipped over to lay on her stomach, swinging the lower half of her legs in the air above her back. Will put his journal aside and mirrored her position on the blanket, resting his face on his hands.

"Tell me your secrets," he commanded gently, studying her face. Did she know she had already accidentally told him two pretty big ones?

Karen scoffed, still not looking at him.

"Honey, that would take the rest of the day," she told him. She frowned and turned her head to look at him. He looked sweet laying there like that, looking at her innocently. "And why do you think I would want to tell you my secrets, anyway? They're secrets for a reason."

Will shrugged.

"You already told me some last night."

The words caught her off guard and she was beginning to really wish she could recall what had happened between them. She remembered her argument with Stanley earlier in the evening, and how Will had overheard. But what else had she told him?

"I know about the baby, Kare," Will gently whispered. She bit her lip and looked back towards the water. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" he pushed, extending a hand and placing it on her shoulder. When she looked down at it, one eyebrow raised, he quickly retracted it. She didn't particularly feel like getting into this subject right now, but figured she owed Will some kind of explanation.

"It wasn't anyone's business," she told him, meeting his gaze. "And it isn't yours," she finished, pushing herself into a sitting position as she prepared to go back to the house.

"Karen." Will spoke her name firmly as he sat up as well and grabbed her wrist. Her eyes questioned him. "You asked me to save you last night," he told her, and she closed her eyes as the memory flooded back to her. "Let me."

Karen suddenly felt like a child as Will's grip loosened on her wrist and he lay back down, expectantly waiting for her to do the same and continue their conversation. She sighed, and obliged.

"Did Jack ever tell you about the time I thought I was pregnant and we took pregnancy tests in Grace's office?" she began. She sounded tired.

"Yeah, but he said it was a false alarm," Will told her, glad she was finally opening up. She shook her head.

"It wasn't. The test gave me a false negative," she admitted, removing her sunglasses to rest her head on her arms as Will was doing to look into his eyes. Will didn't react and she continued. "A few days later I went to the doctor and he told me I was five weeks pregnant."

The words sounded strange to Will. Never, anywhere in his mind had he associated Karen with motherhood. He knew she had step kids, but he had never actually seen her with them. He was having trouble placing her into any kind of maternal role.

"A month after that, I miscarried." She spoke the words with no emotion, and Will knew that was all the information she was going to offer up.

"Did Stan know you were pregnant?" Will asked her.

"Mmhmm. He was thrilled," she smiled, remembering how happy he had been when she had told him they were going to have a baby. "I think when I lost the baby was when things first got bad for us," she admitted. She didn't know why she had volunteered the information. She looked away from Will as her eyes unexpectedly welled up with tears.

Will sat up and pulled her up with him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. It was their first physical contact since he had pried her from his arms early that morning. His skin tingled where it brushed hers. Karen tried very hard to not let Will see her emotion.

"Karen, it's ok to be sad," he told her, craning his neck to try to see her face. She snapped her head to look at him and pushed his arm off of her shoulders.

"Karen Walker doesn't do sadness," she told him, standing to leave.

"Bullshit." He stood as well. Her mouth fell open at his boldness. They didn't speak or move for a full minute.

Finally, something in Karen snapped. She was tired of pretending, and she gave in. She threw herself into Will's arms as the tears began to fall. He buried his face in her hair and stroked her bare back as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Will pulled them back down into a seated position on the blanket. Karen pulled back from him slightly and wiped her eyes.

"One secret a day," she instructed. "From each of us."

Will nodded in agreement and smiled, bringing her back into his embrace once again and Karen whispered into his ear.

"Your turn."


	15. Chapter 15

Their days continued that way; Will spending the morning working with Stan as Karen slept, then the two of them meeting up at the clearing on the beach after lunch. Sometimes they would play in the water or make long phone calls together to Jack and Grace. Occasionally Karen would nap while Will wrote in his journal. Usually, though, they spent their time sharing their innermost thoughts – sprawled on their backs in the warm sand looking up at the clouds, their temples pressed together, with the empty space between their bodies forming a narrow triangle. They would spend the whole afternoon like that, only pulling each other up to leave once the sun began to slip behind the horizon.

This particular evening, they stayed on the beach a little longer than usual, waiting to leave until the sun had completely disappeared from the sky.

"I love watching the sunset," Karen stated dreamily as Will pulled on his t-shirt.

"Is that your secret for the day?" he asked her.

"What?" she asked, spaced out. "Oh….no," she told him, after coming back to reality and realizing what his question had been.

"Well, then what is it?" he asked as he stood up. "I told you mine already," he reminded her, extending his hand to help her up from her seated position next to him. Today Will had told her about how when he was in college, he had dreamed of becoming a famous playwright.

Karen didn't look at Will as she took his hand and he pulled her up next to him.

"I'm thinking of leaving Stan," she stated blankly, turning her back to Will as she began walking towards the house. He stood in shock as she took off up the beach.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he called as he ran to catch up with her. Once he was at her side his tone calmed. "Are you serious?" She didn't need to answer – the look on her face said it all. Will sighed. "Karen, that's a huge deal," he told her as they continued walking.

"I know…but I just don't see how we can get past this," Karen explained. Will saw the hurt in her eyes. He had to hand it to her – she was good at putting on an insensitive, heartless front to the world, but she truly did love her husband. He knew this was the most stressful thing their marriage had ever endured.

They were now almost to the back porch, and Stan's massive form, seated behind the table in the garden, was visible through the courtyard's back gate. Will knew they would have to wrap up their conversation quickly. Will stopped walking and grabbed Karen's shoulders with both hands, turning her towards him. He looked deep into her eyes, his eyebrows raised.

"Just think about it long and hard before you do anything. You don't want to make a mistake," he counseled her. She reflected on his words and nodded. She thanked him for his advice with a smile.

"Good night, Will," she told him as she pulled him into a hug at the courtyard's edge.

"Good night," he responded. He pulled away from her and took a path that veered to the right that would lead him to the guest house. Karen watched him disappear behind the trees before pushing through the gate to join Stan at the little round table.

As she sat, Stan looked up from the newspaper he was reading and smiled at her. She forced a half-smile in response. He didn't speak, and neither did she. She had nothing to say to him. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, she got up from the table and went upstairs to her bedroom.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes and sighing heavily. When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she spotted was the little table in the corner with all of her alcohol sitting on it – her own personal bar. She made a bee-line for the Jack Daniels bottle. She quickly twisted off the cap and put the cold glass to her lips. She took a giant swig before opening the sliding door and walking back out on the balcony.

Karen held the bottle to her chest as she leaned her elbows on the same spot of the railing where a couple of weeks prior she had almost met her demise. She looked out into the vast ocean before her, considering her options with Stan and thinking about the first they had come to this island.

It was three years earlier, not too long after they had been married. Karen was upset with Stan for spending so much time working, and he had brought her here to make up for it. But it was the same then as it was now – within three days he had been caught up in business again. Karen had let it go because she had been so touched that he was willing to drop everything in Manhattan to whisk her away to this beautiful estate, but this time was different. She wasn't sure she was prepared to forgive him for what he had done to her.

Karen took another swallow of Jack and set the bottle down next to her on the railing. She suddenly became extremely angry, thinking of all she had given up to be with Stan and what he had done to her. She let out an angry yell as, without really thinking, she ripped her wedding ring from her left hand and threw it as hard as she could into the water below her.

She stared at the rocks and waves below, watching the tiny silver band splash softly into the water. She couldn't believe she had just done that.

She grabbed the Jack Daniels off of the railing and ran back into her bedroom. She grabbed another bottle of alcohol before rushing out the door and down the secret staircase at the opposite end of the house.

When she emerged into the backyard, she crept quietly past back the gate and onto the path that would lead her to the guest house. In the dark, she found her way to Will's little hideaway. When she got to the front porch, he stood up in surprise from the hammock he was laying in, journaling.

"Karen! Hey," he greeted her. She looked a little frazzled. "What's going on?"

Karen extended both of her arms toward him, a bottle of liquor in each hand. She smiled widely.

"Let's get drunk."


	16. Chapter 16

"Did you know Karen lost her virginity to a college professor?" Will asked Grace, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder as he grated some cheese over the salad he had prepared for himself in his kitchenette.

"Yeah, she told me that once…why did she tell you that?" Grace responded on the other end of the line. Will pulled a fork out of the silverware drawer and walked over to his little table. Karen had told him that as one of her daily secrets, but Will didn't really want to tell Grace about their little deal.

"I don't know…I asked her about it," he lied. He stuffed a bite of salad into his mouth.

"How did that come up in conversation?" Grace asked. Will sighed.

"I don't know, Grace…it just did," he answered, annoyed.

"Well, I'm glad you two are getting to be friends."

"Yeah, I guess we are."

"See? I told you she wasn't so bad."

"You were right," Will told her. He knew how she loved hearing that from him. The truth was, she was more than right. Karen was great. He was really loving spending time with her. Their little two-person party the other night was one of the most fun nights he had had in awhile. Of course, the hang over the next morning hadn't been as enjoyable, but seeing Karen all twisted up in his hammock and trying to get untangled in a desperate attempt to not be late for breakfast with Stan had made it all worth it. He smiled to himself remembering the humorous sight.

"So you're still seeing Ben?" Will asked, steering the conversation away from his relationship with Karen.

"Yep," Grace answered simply.

"And Josh?"

"Yep."

Will laughed.

"Will, when are you going to come home? I miss you!" Grace whined.

"I know, sweetie, I miss you too!" Will told her, honestly. "I guess I'll be back when this off-shore deal with Walker, Inc. is all firmed up."

"Well make it quick! If you're gone too much longer Jack is going to have your entire apartment turned into a 24/7 gay bar," Grace joked. Will laughed.

"Hey, that wouldn't be so bad!" he responded.

"Hey, sweetie, I've got to go. Josh just got here," Grace told him, and Will heard Josh's soft voice greeting Grace on the other end.

"Ok. Tell Jack I said 'hi'. Miss you!" Will concluded. Grace said her goodbyes and the line went dead.

Will snapped his cell phone shut and picked up his salad. He took it out onto the porch and settled into the hammock, resting the bowl on his stomach. He looked up toward the house, thinking about all the work he had to do today with Stan. He probably wouldn't have time to go to the beach with Karen.

She appeared in the courtyard as he thought his, and he motioned for her to come over to the porch after catching her eye. She was still in her bathrobe, her hair sloppily twisted on top of her head. She smiled brightly as she approached.

"Morning, Wilma," she greeted him happily, reaching over the wooden railing to the hammock and plucking a strawberry from the top of his salad. She popped it into her mouth as he frowned at her.

"Morning, strawberry thief," he teased. She smiled widely and leaned onto her arms, resting on the railing above his face. Will stood from the hammock and placed his elbows on either side of hers, their smiling faces two inches apart.

"Listen, I've got some bad news," he told her sweetly. She faked a big frown. "I have a lot of work to do with Stan today, so I don't think I'll be able to go to the beach."

Karen scrunched up her face.

"Fine. But that means you're taking me out tonight," she told him, reaching one hand down to trace little star patterns on his forearm.

"Take you out?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm tired of this island. I want to go to the mainland," she explained, her eyes following the motion of her finger.

"Ok," he agreed. This definitely had fun-potential. "When do you want to go?"

"Late. After Stan goes to bed," she told him. She looked back into his eyes, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I'll come get you when it's safe."

He nodded and smiled.

"It's a date," he told her, moving his face in towards her ever so slightly to peck her lips playfully. She straightened up and clapped her hands, delighted.

"Ok! I'll see you later then," she told him, turning to walk back to the garden. "Don't work too hard!" she called over her shoulder.

Will smiled and picked up his salad bowl, taking it back inside to get ready to for his meeting with Stan. He could already tell this was going to be a very interesting night.


	17. Chapter 17

Will opened his eyes as he heard three soft knocks at his door. He looked at the clock on the wall across from him. It was nearly midnight, and he had fallen asleep waiting for Karen to come get him so they could go to the mainland.

He jumped up from the chair he was resting in and rubbed his eyes as he opened the door. When he did, Karen stood before him, smiling. Her brown hair was flowing long down around her shoulders, and for the first time since they had been on the island, Will noticed that she wasn't wearing it straight, but in its natural waves.

"Hey, sleepy," she greeted him. "Are you ready to go?" She fingered the puka shells around her neck, falling between the cleavage that was exposed from her hot pink maxi dress.

"Yeah, I am," Will assured her, flipping off the light on the wall next to him and pulling the door closed as they headed out into the dark night. Karen took his right hand in her left and lead him to the front gate where a cab was waiting for them.

As they settled into the back, Will figured out what it was that felt so strange about their entwined hands.

"Why aren't you wearing your wedding ring?" he asked her. There was no judgment or concern in his voice, just curiosity. She turned her torso towards him, retracting her hand from his grasp.

"I haven't been wearing it for days," she told him, avoiding the question. He sensed that she didn't really want to answer it, so he just shrugged and looked out the window as their cab twisted and turned its way to the main island.

"Where are we going?" he asked Karen, still looking out the window at the twinkling lights of the approaching center of town.

"I don't know what it's called, but it's this little place I found the last time I was here with Stanley," she told him, leaning forward in her seat to watch where they were going through the front windshield. "This is it," she told the driver, pointing at a little wooden building with tiki lights leading up to the entrance.

Will's ears adjusted to the loud music coming from the building as he stepped out of the cab. When he heard the door slam shut behind him, he turned to look at Karen.

"What is this place?" he asked her as she hooked her arm around his and lead them up the walk to the door of the building.

"It's a club," she answered, reaching for the door to pull it open. He got to it before she did, however, and opened it for her. "I hope you're up for some dancing," she told him as she passed in front of him through the threshold. Will smiled and shrugged.

"Only if you think you can keep up with me," he teased in response. She rolled her eyes.

He watched her, admiring her confidence, as she approached a waiter and ordered them drinks. While she was doing this, he spotted an empty table on the edge of the dance floor and guided her to it as the waiter walked away.

After two rounds of fruity drinks, Karen stood from their table and grabbed Will's hand to pull him up with her.

"Come on!" she shouted to him over the loud reggae club mix music. She pulled him to the middle of the crowded dance floor and immediately began moving her hips to the music. Will hesitated – it wasn't often that he danced with women at places like this. He knew what to do with a man, where to place his hands, how to move his body, but he assumed that grinding with a woman would be totally different.

"What's the matter?" Karen mouthed to him, twisting her hips and running her hands up the back of her neck through her hair. Will, who was still motionless at this point, leaned in to her to speak into her ear.

"I um…I don't really know how to do this with a woman," he admitted to her, feeling slightly embarrassed. Karen rolled her eyes and leaned up to press her mouth to his ear.

"Then just pretend I'm a man," she instructed him, grabbing his hands and placing them on her hips. Will had enough alcohol in him by now to actually take this advice. Her encouragement gave him more confidence and he spun her around to back her body into his. He rested his hands on the front of her hips as their bodies moved together, the loud bass of the music echoing in their hearts.

The rest of their night was a blur – a few more drinks followed their turn on the dance floor, and before long it was 2 a.m. and they were heading back outside to their waiting cab.

When they got back to the villa, Karen walked a slightly drunk Will to the door of the guesthouse. He was walking ahead of her and when he got to the unlocked door, he turned to face her.

"Hey, it's late – why don't you just spend the night here?" he asked her, leaning against the door frame to keep from falling over in the dark. She considered his offer for a minute.

"Ok," she accepted happily. He smiled and pushed the door open. She closed the door behind them as Will kicked his sandals off and fell onto his bed, his hand on his head.

"I am so tired!" he exclaimed as she sat down next to him on the other side of the bed. As he felt her weight on the mattress, he turned his head towards her and with one arm pulled her down next to him.

"Hey we didn't do secrets today," she whined, snuggling up next to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You're right," he agreed. "You go first."

Karen thought about what she wanted to tell him. She _wanted_ to tell him how much she was enjoying the perfection of his tanned body as he held her close on the dance floor just an hour ago. But she figured that would be too forward for him, so she just giggled and buried her face in his shoulder.

"What?" he asked her, reaching his free hand down to tickle her side. She giggled more and squirmed next to him.

"I don't want to tell you my secret. It's too…secret," she laughed. He laughed too. She noticed how his drunk laugh was different than his sober laugh. "Just tell me yours!"

"Fine," he began. He suddenly became serious. "My secret is…I love the way your body feels next to mine."

Karen was taken aback by his admission. She slowly tilted her face up to his, and their eyes met. He pulled her closer and closer until their foreheads were touching. He licked his lips and looked down at hers. She responded by gently rubbing her lips across his lips and circling her small nose around his flirtatiously. He exhaled deeply and his warm breath tickled her face. She smiled and he kissed her softly. She pulled back from him, suddenly glad she wasn't wearing her wedding ring.

"Are you sure?" she whispered, searching his eyes. He nodded and kissed her again, and this time his lips were full of passion.


	18. Chapter 18

Karen moaned as she opened her eyes. Will's warm body was pressed against her back, his arm draped across her torso. The sheets felt cold against her naked body, which she found odd considering the friction that had taken place under them several times during the night. She looked at the clock on the wall – 9:15. Good, she still had 45 minutes until she had to meet Stanley for their daily breakfast together in the garden.

Stan had imposed this mandatory meeting about a month ago, after feeling like Karen wasn't putting in enough effort to spend time with him during the days. She had found this ironic, considering he was the one who locked himself away in his office for twelve hours every day. But she had complied, figuring it was the least she could do to show him she was still somewhat interested in working out their issues.

But now, as she twisted her neck to observe Will's sleeping, nude form next to her, it sure didn't seem like she was very interested in Stan or her marriage to him. She felt a strange mix of guilt and vengeance as her mind replayed the numerous moments of passion she had shared with Will just hours ago.

Carefully, she removed his arm from her waist and placed it next to him. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up as she reached for her panties, thrown onto the floor next to her.

Will opened his eyes but didn't move as she pulled them on; silently observing her bare back in all of its flawless glory. He squeezed his eyes tightly closed again as she stood from the bed and searched for her dress. He listened to her walk across the room to pick it up and pull it on over her head before she headed into the bathroom. When he heard the click of the bathroom door, he opened his eyes and shot up to a sitting position in the bed.

His head was reeling from the night he had shared with Karen. His hand instinctively reached for the top drawer of his bedside table. He pulled it open and extracted his journal. His hand searched around the bottom of the drawer for a moment before wrapping around a pen and pulling it out also. He flipped open the journal and scribbled furiously as his thoughts flowed.

In the bathroom, Karen splashed cold water over her face repeatedly before finally pressing Will's towel to her face as she studied herself in the mirror. They had made love four times that night. That was a record, even for her. She attributed this to the fact that she hadn't had sex for several months. Will hadn't either, apparently, and she figured that was the only reason he had allowed himself to sleep with a woman. She wondered if he and Grace had ever had casual sex like that.

_Casual._ She repeated the word in her mind. Had it really been that casual? She thought it had been pretty emotional, much different than any other one-night stand she had ever had before. Again, she found herself caught in the tricky word web; was it really a one-night stand when it was with someone you knew fairly well and cared for deeply?

She frowned at herself in the mirror. Why wasn't she feeling more regretful about this? She couldn't lie to herself – she knew it was because it had been fantastic. She was sure he felt it, too. What she wasn't sure about was whether he cared about her the way she was beginning to realize she cared about him.

As soon as he was done writing, Will closed his journal and stuffed it back into its drawer. He threw himself back onto the bed and tried to position himself exactly as he had been when Karen had left their bed. He closed his eyes but couldn't get back to sleep.

Twenty minutes later, he heard her come out of the bathroom. He didn't move. She came to his side and leaned over his still form to place a gentle kiss on his forehead. His arms itched to embrace her, but he kept himself in check and remained motionless. As soon as she had closed the front door behind her, Will jumped out of the bed and ran to the window. He watched her trot across the garden and through the kitchen door. Not thirty seconds after she disappeared into the house, Stan appeared from the door by his office and walked over to take his place at the garden table.

Will sighed as he watched Stan happily getting ready for his daily breakfast with his wife, whom Will had just screwed four times the previous night. He turned his back to the window and leaned against the wall, taking his face in his hands and wishing he could disappear.


	19. Chapter 19

"What's with you?" Stan asked Karen suspiciously as she hurriedly mopped up the orange juice she had just spilled all over the table with her white napkin.

"What do you mean?" she asked him, doing her best to keep her voice normal. She avoided his gaze as she soaked up the last of the orange liquid.

"I don't know, you seem…jumpy or something," he explained. Karen's eyes darted to the right as she pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, I just had a bad dream is all," she told him, handing him the butter from across the table, anticipating his need for it after Rosario had placed a stack of dry toast in front of him.

"I see…" he mumbled, eyeing her suspiciously. His eyes stopped on her wedding ring – or rather, lack of wedding ring. "Or are you nervous that I'm going to notice that you're not wearing your wedding ring?" he asked her, his voice raising slightly as he caught her left hand and waved it in front of her.

Karen was instantly relieved at the excuse he had just given her.

"Yes!" she cried, smiling. "I mean no! I mean…"

"Karen! Where is it?" he questioned. She sighed and pretended to be upset.

"Well…I…I took it off the other day when I was in the shower and it slipped down the drain," she lied. "I'm sorry, Stanley."

Stan sighed and released Karen's hand.

"It's ok. We'll just get you a new one," he assured her, smiling. Karen suddenly felt bold.

"Stanley, I'm not sure I want another quite yet," she told him, her eyes boring into his.

"Karen…" he began, violently setting his glass down on the table in front of him. Karen sat back in her chair and folded her arms, bracing herself for that would follow. "We've been here for seven weeks…how much longer is this going to go on?"

Karen sat forward in her chair and furrowed her eyebrows, staring at him intently.

"You know for someone who should be doing everything in their power to earn my forgiveness, you sure are impatient," she told him angrily, rising from her seat.

"Karen!" he exclaimed, exasperated, as he threw down his napkin.

"No – we're done here," she told him, her voice icy. She breezed into the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.

Karen paced the kitchen a few times before leaning over the counter of the island, clutching the edge of the granite and bowing her head.

"Everything ok?"

Rosario's voice startled her and she looked up at her in surprise.

"Yeah, of course everything's ok," she answered, annoyed.

"It didn't sound ok," Rosie pushed, stepping closer towards Karen.

"Rosie, don't bother. Nobody can make this better," Karen admitted to her, the annoyance now gone from her voice, and in its place, sadness and resignation. Rosario took another few steps closer.

"Maybe…Mr. Will can?" she ventured. Karen glared at her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I saw you sneaking back over here from the guest house this morning," Rosario admitted quietly, her eyebrows raised at Karen. Karen backed away from her.

"That is none of your business," she whispered angrily, before storming out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.


	20. Chapter 20

Two long weeks passed with no afternoon beach visits, no stolen glances, no daily secrets. Not knowing how to deal with what had happened between them, Karen and Will had been avoiding each other altogether. Occasionally they would share an awkward encounter in the hallway outside of Stan's office, acknowledging each other with a nod of the head or a shy "hello" but nothing more.

Exactly sixteen days after the morning Will had woken up with Karen in his arms, he decided to take a walk down to their spot on the beach. He figured she wouldn't be there since he hadn't even seen her leave the house once during the week.

Will slid his flip flops on and grabbed a blue and green striped blanket. He stuffed it under his arm as he left the guesthouse and jogged down the hill to the beach. The bright sun warmed his skin, reminding him of the warmth of Karen's naked body next to his. He felt goose bumps forming on his skin and he tried to think of something else as he walked along the edge of the water.

He was surprised to find Karen sitting in the clearing as he drew closer. She was sitting on the bare sand, a short silk robe pulled tightly around her. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and her chin was resting on her folded arms on top of her knees. She was looking out towards the water, but Will wasn't entirely sure where her eyes were, since she was once again wearing her black sunglasses. She snapped her head up towards him as he walked up to her.

Neither of them spoke as he laid the blanket out on the sand next to her and sat down on it. She turned her head back towards the water. He laid down on his back and closed his eyes. She didn't say anything as she stood up and walked to the other side of him, then sat herself back down next to him on the blanket.

The minutes ticked by in silence. A seagull crowed, a passing cruise ship blew its horn. Karen wanted to say something to Will, but she didn't want to be the first one to give in. Will knew this, so eventually he spoke first.

"When I told my dad I was gay, he crashed his car into a telephone pole," Will told Karen, breaking the silence. She blinked slowly, relief washing over her. He had made the first move, and had shown that he wanted what she did – for things to go back to how they were before last week happened.

"When I was seven and my dad died, I cried myself to sleep until my eighth birthday," she replied. He sat up, keeping the distance between their bodies.

"Why your eighth birthday?"

"I decided that an eight year-old shouldn't be as big of a baby as a seven year-old," she explained. Neither of them looked at each other. "That was the first time I realized I could control my emotions, hide them from the world."

Will nodded slowly, letting her words sink in. He figured now was as good a time as any to get off his chest what he had been needing to tell her.

"Karen, I'm sorry. I was drunk and horny and – " Will's words were stopped short by Karen's hand over his mouth.

"I know, honey," she told him. The look on his face told him that she understood, that she was sorry too, and that she wanted things to be normal between them again. He was amazed by how expressive she could be when she wanted to, for someone who was so good at hiding their feelings.


	21. Chapter 21

"Secret: I have no self control."

Karen's words were muffled by the cigarette that was pinched between her lips as she reached up to light it.

"That's not such a secret," Will laughed, grabbing the lighter out of her hand to help her. Once her cigarette was lit, Karen took a long drag before exhaling, the dusty smoke snaking out of her mouth into the dark night sky.

"True," she agreed with him. He reached for the pack of cigs that was now lying between them in the sand and pulled one out.

"Secret," he began, lighting his own cigarette. Karen looked at him, astonished. The smoke from his exhalation mixed with hers, floating above their heads. "I smoke."

"Now that _is_ surprising," she confessed, taking another drag. "Does Grace know?" Will shrugged.

"I think so. But we don't talk about it," he explained, furrowing his brow. "I've been trying to quit for like, eight years." Another puff.

"Same. This is actually only my third smoke since being here," Karen told Will proudly. He chuckled. No one knew about the carton of Marlboros he had stashed next to his journal in his nightstand. At night, before he went to sleep and after everyone had left the garden, Will liked to lie in the hammock and have a smoke, looking up at the stars through the trees. Maybe that would be his secret tomorrow.

Karen dug her bare feet into the sand in front of her.

"So how are things with you and Stan?" Will asked. Another month had passed since the night they spent together, and he finally felt like enough time had passed to be able to talk appropriately about her and Stan's marriage.

"Better," she drew the word out. "Still not great, but better."

Will nodded and tapped the end of his cigarette against the trunk of the tree he was leaning on to knock off the burnt end.

"So I'm assuming you weren't planning on telling anyone about Stan's affair?" Will asked Karen. She looked at him, biting the inside of her lip.

"You mean like Jack or Grace?" she took a drag. "No, I wasn't planning on telling them."

Will knew this meant that he shouldn't talk to Grace about it once he was back in Manhattan.

"Why weren't you going to tell anyone, Karen? That's kind of the point of having friends," Will leaned forward away the tree, leaning his forearms on his bent legs which were slightly spread in front of him and looking at Karen. This was one of those times he loved where he could be completely forthright with her and know she didn't feel like he was judging her or scolding her. She shrugged.

"First of all, when you're as big a player in the Manhattan social scene as I am, you can't really afford to tell stuff like that to anybody," she explained, taking her turn to tap her cigarette. "I mean _anybody_."

"And second of all?" Will asked, erratic puffs of smoke escaping from his mouth as he said the words.

"Second of all, Karen Walker learned long ago not to depend on other people to fix her problems," she told him, wiggling her buried her feet further into the wet sand. "Most people just don't really care. And there's no way in hell they can fix someone else if they can't even handle their own shit."

He huffed in agreement, recalling how Grace had used almost those exact words the night he had left for the Islands – she was going to "fix" him.

"So then how come you're letting me fix you?" he asked her. She pulled the cigarette out of her mouth, smiling.

"Is that what's going on here?"

He looked at her and shrugged, amused.

"And honey….you're not most people," she finished, her tone serious now, but still happy. Will scooted closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Some time had passed since they slept together, and they had gradually eased back into their physical contact, each assuming their little kisses and loving touches were purely based in friendship. Which, for the most part they were, but both of them would have been lying to themselves if they didn't acknowledge the chemistry between them.

"Has Stan noticed your missing diamond yet?" Will asked Karen, taking her left hand in his and rubbing little circles over the spot on her ring finger where her wedding band should have been. She groaned.

"Yeah…I told him it got rinsed down the drain in the shower."

"Nice."

"Thank you, thank you," Karen bent at the waist, mimicking a bowing motion. Will pulled his arms away from Karen and clapped his hands in her face. She laughed and pushed his hands away.

Karen finished her cigarette and shoved the burning end into the sand next to her. Will did the same and lay down on his back next to Karen, who was now stretched out on their blanket, looking up at the stars.

"I miss Jack," Karen mused, finding Will's hand and lacing her fingers between his.

"Me too," he agreed. "And Grace."

Karen frowned and turned her face towards his.

"Are you ready to go back?" she asked. It was impossible for him to ignore the sadness in her voice. Will knew he didn't have to lie to her.

"Maybe," he shrugged, meeting her eyes. "More so than I was a few weeks ago…but I have no burning desire to hop on a jet."

Karen was relieved to hear the words.

"I know what you mean," she agreed, scooting her face towards his shoulder. He broke their hands and wedged his arm under her body, snaking his hand around her shoulders and drawing her close to him.

"No matter what happens, Karen, I'm glad we're friends."

"Me too, honey, me too."


	22. Chapter 22

Will grabbed his little black comb off of the bedside table and held it in front of his mouth, pretending it was a microphone.

"Woh-oh-oh-oh-ohhhhh – little China giiiiiirrlll," Will sang. He had turned on the radio alarm clock next to his bed and fidgeted with the tuner for several minutes until he found a station that was playing suitable music. Will took a break from his morning ritual of showering, shaving and getting dressed to sing along to his favorite David Bowie song.

He was wearing only his boxer briefs and an unbuttoned, cheesy Hawaiian shirt as he jumped around the room, imagining it as his stage.

Just as he was taking a dance break on top of his bed, the door flew open to reveal Karen, annoyance written all over her face.

"KAREN!" Will shouted, instantly jumping off the bed and grabbing the pair of pants that were laid out across the back of the arm chair in the corner.

"For God's sake, Will!" Karen exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she closed the door behind her. Will blushed as he hurriedly pulled on the pants. "That shirt is ridiculous!" she finished. Will grimaced and ripped the open shirt from his back, whipping her with it as she crossed in front of him on her way to his little kitchen.

Will fished around in the middle drawer of his bureau and pulled out a tight black t-shirt. He pulled it over his head as he went to join Karen in the kitchen. When he got there, she was standing in front of the counter, two glass tumblers on the granite in front of her.

"What are you doing here so early?" Will asked her as he watched her struggle to reach something that was sitting on top of the cabinets, hidden behind a decorative pot of flowers.

"I am here," she began, pausing as he pushed her aside to retrieve the object she was so desperately trying to reach. When he pulled down a bottle of vodka and handed it to her, his frown met her smile. "…to drink with you."

"It's ten o'clock in the morning!" he exclaimed as she turned his back on him again to mix a Screwdriver.

"It's never too early to have a little fun, honey!" she told him in a sing-song voice, turning to hand him his drink. He looked at it and shrugged before taking a big swallow. The vodka stung his throat as it slid down.

"Wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be having breakfast with Stan?" he asked her, remembering their daily ritual. She turned around to face him, leaning against the counter and taking a swallow of her own drink.

"That's the other reason I'm here," she began, crossing to the little table and chairs against the wall. "I'm supposed to tell you that you don't have to meet with Stan today, he went to the main land for the day to meet with some college friends," she finished, sitting. He pulled out the chair across from her and sat in it.

"Oh, ok…" he tried to sound nonchalant about this news, but was secretly pleased that he had the day off. "So what are we going to do all day?"

Karen raised her eyebrows at him.

"What are _we_ going to do all day?" she asked him, surprised at his assertion of wanting to spend his day off with her. He just nodded at her and took another drink. "Don't you want to finish your world tour?" she asked sarcastically. He frowned, embarrassed as she laughed at her own joke.

"Let's take the boat out!" he suggested suddenly, his face lighting up.

"Ok!" Karen agreed. "I'll go tell Rosie to fire it up," she said, standing. "Meet me at the dock in half an hour."


	23. Chapter 23

Will draped one arm lazily over the side of the Walker's pontoon boat as it floated lethargically on the surface of the water. He scrunched up his face in a lazy attempt to adjust the sunglasses that were uncomfortably smashed between his face and the floor of the boat. Realizing this small movement wasn't going to be enough to fix his Raybans, Will flipped over onto his back and reached one hand up to adjust them.

Karen sighed heavily next to him, her own sunglasses hiding her eyes from view. She was also stretched out on her back on the deck of the boat, one leg bent up so that her knee poked out of the slit of her black sarong. Will sat up and gingerly reached one hand towards her sunglasses. Before he could pull them off of her face, though, her hand shot up and slapped his arm.

"What are you doing?" Karen asked him sleepily, not moving from her comfortable position.

"I wanted to see if you were asleep," Will told her honestly. He sat up and leaned back on his elbow.

"Hey Rosario, can you toss me another wine cooler?" he called over his shoulder towards the front of the boat, where Rosie was lounging in the captain's chair. She had turned off the engine and they were all relaxing on the still waters.

"Fuzzy navel or sun-ripened raspberry?" she called back to him, digging through the little blue cooler that was on the chair next to her. Will bit his lip, deciding.

"Navel," he answered, and crawled the four feet to her, extending his arm to take the cold glass bottle from him. No way was he going to try and catch that sucker in front of Karen.

"Would you like one, Miss Karen?" Rosario asked Karen, reaching again for the cooler.

"No thanks, Ro Ro," Karen responded, rolling over onto her stomach and reaching a hand out for Will. Rosario shrugged and leaned back into her chair, her body now mostly hidden from the view of Karen and Will.

"What?" Will whispered as Karen pulled him down next to her. He laid his face next to hers as she put her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. She pulled her sunglasses away from her face and placed them on top of her head.

"I never finished college," she whispered. This was actually news to Will; everyone knew she had attended college, but now that he thought of it, he had never heard her say what degree she had.

"Really?" he mouthed. She nodded.

"I met my first husband when I had two semesters left. I dropped out as soon as we got married," she confessed, her voice barely audible.

Karen suddenly stood up and grabbed Will's hand, pulling him farther away from where Rosario was now snoring, to the back of the boat. She found a suitable spot for them to continue their conversation and they lay down next to each other once again.

"What were you getting your degree in?" Will asked her, still speaking softly but not quite in a whisper anymore. Karen adjusted the sarong tied around her waist.

"Philosophy," she stated, looking back towards him. "I wasn't really planning on doing anything with it…I knew I was basically just going to school to meet some rich guy and get married."

"Is that what you wanted?"

"It's what my mother wanted."

With that one simple statement, Will gained a tremendous amount of insight into Karen's inner workings. So she was a pleaser, too. Or at least she had been at one time. Maybe that's why she was so hardened now – maybe she had gotten tired of putting everyone else first. Will rubbed his forehead as he realized this theoretical situation seemed all too familiar…he wasn't sure he wanted to end up like Karen.

Karen smiled and barrel-rolled over his body, knocking the wind from his chest. She laughed heartily at the stunned expression on his face and the silly sound he made as he tried to catch his breath.

"You are such a bitch!" he exclaimed, grabbing her around the waist and tickling her furiously.

Unbeknownst to them, Rosario awoke and stirred in her seat, silently observing the scene playing out in front of her.

Karen giggled and squirmed as his fingers tortured her. Will grinned as he moved on top of her to get a better angle for his tickling. Suddenly, their faces were barely an inch apart, their eyes locked. Will ceased the movement of his hands and Karen grew quiet as they searched each other's faces. They both wanted more than anything to close the space between their lips.

Karen knew that if she didn't do something fast, she would give in to her carnal desires and ruin the comfort of their relationship that they had worked back up to after the night she had spent in his bed. Thinking quick on her feet, Karen playfully bit her lip and stared into Will's eyes as she ran her foot up the inside of his leg. Once it reached his groin, she kicked hard, causing him to cry out in pain and instantly roll off of her. Maybe she did have some self control, after all.

Karen laughed hysterically as Will writhed in pain next to her. She shot a glance towards Rosario, who shut her eyes tightly, just in time.

After Will regained his composure, he sat up, playfully glowering at Karen.

"You are _so_ gonna pay for that!" he hissed through a clenched jaw. Karen just rolled her eyes.

"How about this?" she asked, situating herself next to him again, folding her legs next to her. "You can do whatever you want to me after you tell me your secret."

"Ok," Will agreed, nodding. He had the perfect revenge. He grabbed Karen's elbow and stood her up, leading her to the very end of the boat.

"My secret is, I…" he began, feigning seriousness. Karen looked at him expectantly.

"What?" she prodded.

"I….I can't. It's too embarrassing," he sighed dramatically. No way was he going to tell her that he didn't know how to swim.

"Will! No fair!" she whined. He rolled his eyes.

"Ok, ok," he gave in, gesturing her to lean in closer to him. She did, eagerly. When he felt that she was close enough, he opened his mouth like he was going to speak, but instead reached around her waist and pushed her into the water below them.

Karen let out a cry of surprise as she hit the water, and Will doubled over, laughter racking his body.

When Karen resurfaced next to the boat, she looked pissed. Her soaked hair clung to the sides of her face and she sputtered water as she pushed it away.

After another minute of laughing while Karen was treading water a few feet in front of him, Will reached down to extend a hand to her.

She glared at him as she took it and pulled her body halfway out of the water. Will couldn't help but stare at the generous amount of cleavage displayed by her slick, black one-piece bathing suit.

Before she climbed back onto the boat, Karen paused, her face next to his.

"I think I deserve to hear that secret now," she whispered. But before Will could get the words out, Karen had thrown herself backwards into the water once more, this time pulling Will with her. He let out an unexpected cry as he flailed in the waves and she laughed.

"I CAN'T SWIM!"


	24. Chapter 24

"Come in, Will" Stan called from his desk. Will sat down in the wooden chair across from Stan, setting his briefcase on his lap and flipping it open.

"Morning, Stan," Will greeted him flatly. It had become increasingly difficult for Will to not let his personal feelings toward Stan and the way he had treated Karen creep into their business together. "How's Karen?" Will asked the question mostly as a formality; obviously he knew how Karen was much better than Stan probably ever would.

"Funny, I was just going to ask you the same thing," Stan replied, taking a document from Will's outstretched hand. Will didn't respond right away. "She seems to like you much more than she likes me," Stan sighed, hunching over the paper in front of him to scrawl his signature across the bottom.

"I don't know about that," Will told him, leaning over the desk to indicate to Stan another line that needed his signature. "I think she tried to kill me yesterday."

Stan faked a smile at his lawyer. He noted how good looking Will's young face was. It was no wonder Karen liked him so much – his handsomeness very closely matched her beauty.

Stan cleared his throat and tried to think of something to break the tension -they were both adults here, there was no need for this business meeting to be so awkward. Will beat him to it.

"Did you have a good time with your friends yesterday?" Will asked.

"Ah," Stan replied, leaning back in his chair and bringing his palms together in front of his chest, tapping his fingers together. "Is that what she told you?"

Will frowned.

"I'm not sure I follow…"

"I was at the U.S. Embassy yesterday, picking up divorce papers from Manhattan."

Will's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Why would Karen lie to him about that? It was the first time she had lied to him since they had been on the island. Or was it?

"Why?" The word spilled out of Will's mouth before he had the chance to stop it.

"Karen asked me to."

"Stan, I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Will sputtered, completely truthfully.

"Oh really?" Stan's eyes narrowed and he looked Will up and down. "I find that hard to believe."

"Excuse me?" Will's voice was sharp.

"Come on, Will. You run off with my wife every day, she comes sneaking back over here from the guesthouse in the mornings…you don't think I know what's going on?" Stan was standing in front of the window now, one hand on his hip and the other on his forehead. Will sat in shocked silence.

"She doesn't think I'm paying attention to her, but the truth is I'm watching her every move. I see the way she looks at you…but can I really blame her? An eye for an eye, right?...but I wasn't in love with Natalia – that's the difference, you see."

Will couldn't believe what he was hearing. Stan really thought that Karen was in _love_ with him?

"Stan, Karen and I are absolutely not having an affair," Will told him, standing up from his chair. "I'm GAY. Ho-mo-sex-u-al!" Will pronounced each syllable to get the point across. "…And she definitely doesn't love me!" Will was pacing now. "This is unbelievable…no wonder you two have such huge issues! Clearly you have no idea how to communicate with one another!" Will was heated now. Stan was staring at him, suddenly feeling stupid after hearing the sincerity in Will's voice.

"You're right. You're absolutely right," Stan admitted. "I'm sorry, Will, I shouldn't have jumped to such a conclusion…"

"Damn right you shouldn't have. But don't tell me – why don't you try talking to your _wife_ about this?" Will snapped his briefcase shut and swung it off the desk as she headed for the door. He wasn't going to stay here and allow himself to become part of this. He hadn't signed up for some sick little love triangle when he agreed to be Stan's lawyer.

"Because she doesn't want to talk about it! I don't think she would have sent me across the island to get divorce papers if she really wanted to work this out!" Stan stated.

"I don't think she would have stayed here this long if she didn't," Will countered. He didn't wait for Stan's response before exiting into the hall, closing the door forcefully behind him.


	25. Chapter 25

Later that afternoon, Karen sat cross legged on a thin yellow beach towel, a fresh cigarette burning between the fingers of her right hand. Will didn't have to read the bold, black titling of the stack of papers sitting next to her to know what they were. Karen wasn't sitting in their usual little cove today, but instead was just a few feet from the water's edge.

"Two cigarettes in two weeks?" Will mused, sitting down onto the blanket next to Karen, the divorce papers between their bare legs. Karen responded by taking another drag, not looking at Will.

"What are you doing out here?" Will asked her, turning his face towards the grey sky, where a large rain cloud had just passed in front of the dim sun. "It's going to start storming any minute."

Karen shrugged and exhaled slowly.

"What can I say? I live on the edge," she dead-panned. The vacancy of her voice matched the look in her eyes. Will looked down at his hands. His eyes strayed to the left and began to scan the divorce filing sitting next to him. Karen had filled out the entire thing – her loopy, cartoon-ish handwriting betraying the true meaning of the words. He frowned as he picked up the papers and waved them in front of Karen's face.

"When were you planning on telling me about this?" he questioned. She looked down at the papers in front of her and then back to his face. He slowly dropped his hand back down to the blanket between them, still clutching the divorce document.

"I didn't mean to lie to you," was her only reply. She flicked her cigarette into the ocean in front of her callously before turning her upper body towards him, the corners of her mouth downturned. "Saying it out loud would have just made it too real."

Will lost himself in her sad eyes as the words washed over him and he nodded slowly.

"But why?" he questioned. "Why now? I thought things were going better." He studied her face, reading her expression. He hadn't seen this look in her eyes since the night he had saved her from falling off of her balcony. She was scared.

Karen broke their gaze and looked back towards the water. The sky was growing darker by the second.

"What happened that night on the balcony?" she asked, as if reading his mind. The tender look he had just given her, full of understanding, was one she had seen on his face only in her dim memory of that night. Over the course of the following months, she had remembered more and more about that night. But some things still weren't clear, and she wanted him to fill in the gaps.

Will hesitated for a moment. Lightning flashed over the water in the distance.

"You almost fell off," he answered simply. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she had fallen – that she would have certainly died if he hadn't been there. She nodded as she rocked her body back and forth, remembering.

"You know I was never planning on jumping," she told him. The calm expression on his face betrayed the shock of his thoughts. They hadn't ever spoken about the incident – he was sure she didn't have any memory of that night. It had haunted his dreams for weeks, though. He couldn't shake the image of Karen's terrified eyes as she dangled above the water, her fingernails biting into the skin of his forearms. He absent-mindedly rubbed the spot on his right wrist where she had left a little crescent-shaped indent.

Karen continued.

"But I wanted the option. I wanted to see how far I could push myself…I figured if I had really wanted to die I wouldn't have stood around up there for so long."

She pulled the divorce papers from his hand and flipped the page over before holding them in front of his chest. He looked down at it and took it from her.

"This was my balcony with Stan," she told him. Will skimmed the page, confused. It was then that he noticed the empty last line at the very bottom of the page – she hadn't signed it. Thunder clapped.

Karen stood up and walked towards the water, running her foot across the top of its most shallow point. It felt cold against her bare skin.

"You're not going to sign it," Will filled in the blanks.

Karen shivered and crossed her arms tightly in front of her body, looking out into the ocean as far as she could see. The wind whipped her hair around furiously, slapping it against the delicate skin of her cheeks like little whips.

Will stood and went to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she snaked her arm around his waist. She didn't look at him as she felt him slide the folded papers into her free hand. More lightning.

The thunder followed much quicker this time, striking loud as Karen broke their embrace and took several more steps into the water. The angry little waves of the shore licked and bit her knees. She took one last look at the papers in her hands before ripping them in half with one quick motion. Will watched, satisfied, as she crumpled up each half and chucked them into the ocean.

She ran back into his arms as the rain began to fall, soaking their hair and faces. She shrieked in mock terror as the drops fell harder and faster, and Will ran her back towards their blanket, scooping it up and holding it over their heads like an umbrella as they ran back towards the house.


	26. Chapter 26

"Goodnight, Karen," Stan whispered, leaning his face down to hers and placing a soft kiss on her lips. She grabbed the back of his shirt as he turned his back on her and pulled him back towards her. He faced her, and from her seated position she reached an arm around his thick neck and pulled his face down to hers. Her mouth met his and she kissed him gently, reacquainting herself with the feel of his lips.

It didn't last very long, and before he knew it she was pushing him away again, readjusting the hair piled on top of her head and acting as though nothing had happened.

"Goodnight," she quipped, looking down at the emery board in her hand as it scratched along the surface of her fingernail. She wasn't sure why she had done it – maybe to test her level of disgust with him. It was only mild tonight, less than it usually was.

Another week had passed since she had ripped up their divorce papers and cast them into the stormy ocean. Tonight she was meeting Will on the beach for a bonfire and champagne to celebrate the anniversary of their fourth month on the island.

Karen had spoken to Grace on the phone earlier today, and it reminded her of how much she missed her life in New York. Yet despite the sadness she felt upon hanging up the phone, and how quickly things were improving with Stan, Karen was still far from ready to return to the city. She didn't want to admit to herself that it was because of Will.

They were safe with each other here – no one watching them or judging them, no expectations to fill or friends to worry about. Karen had always been turned off by Will's arrogance, the way he acted better than everybody. She knew she acted this way too, but that was different; she _was_ better than everybody. But Will was different when it was just the two of them. Two frustrated souls looking for a friend.

She looked up at the clock on the wall of the kitchen. 10:53. They were meeting a 11, and she knew it wouldn't take her seven minutes to get down to their spot, but she stood up from the table and headed that direction anyway. She didn't want to sit there alone any longer.

When she got to the clearing, Will was already there, a small fire glowing brightly in the sand in front of him. Dark shadows fell over the parts of his perfect face not illuminated by the warm firelight. Karen smiled as she stopped next to him and he kissed her cheek in greeting.

"Hey," he breathed.

"Hi."

"Stan asleep?"

"I think so."

Every since Stan had accused Will of having an affair with Karen, and admitted that he was always watching her closely, the pair had been decidedly more careful of when and where they met up each day. It had taken Karen a good deal of convincing for Stan to realize that nothing was going on behind his back, and she wasn't going to risk that. She felt guilty enough about the one night she _had_ spent with Will.

"Oh!" Karen exclaimed, holding up a finger to Will. "Hold on." She jogged over to the tree in the clearing where Will always sat and reached behind it. She pulled out the two bottles of champagne she had stashed there earlier in the day and brought them over to where he was waiting for her, a grin on his face.

"That's what I'm talkin' about!" he said, taking a bottle from her. She backed away from him as he popped the top off, and they both laughed when the foam from the bottle spilled forth onto the sand.

"This is so romantic," Karen joked, grabbing the bottle from him and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Will frowned, then forced himself to chuckle. He didn't want to make Karen feel bad, but ever since his conversation with Stan, he had felt guilty about every touch, every giggle, every smile the two of them shared. Despite this rationality, he couldn't ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he watched her take a swig from the bottle in the soft light of the fire. Every moment he spent with her was romantic.

Karen passed the bottle back to Will, who took his turn with it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he plopped himself down into the sand in front of the fire. His beige linen pants pulled tightly across his groin as he crossed his legs in front of him. Karen sat also, their bodies making a 90 degree angle in front of the fire. Will was suddenly struck with how odd it was to see Karen sitting so casually in the sand.

"Who would've ever thought Karen Walker would sit on the dirty ground?" Will teased, taking another drink from the champagne bottle. Karen reached for it.

"Who would've ever thought Will Truman would drink straight from the bottle?" she responded. He smiled and handed her the bottle.

"We really are insufferable, huh?" he laughed, spacing out into the fire.

"I'd say so."

Several moments passed as they sat in silence, passing the bottle and staring into the fire, hypnotized by its dancing flames.

The idea to celebrate the four month mark of their being on the island had been Will's. He didn't want to speak the words aloud, but he sensed a certain finality in their little celebration…he knew he was almost ready to go back to Manhattan. He wondered if this would be the last night he and Karen spent alone on the beach.

Karen felt this too. She didn't know how much longer their days would continue like this, and she felt like her time was running out to tell Will just how much their time together meant to her.

"Honey?" Karen asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being here." She looked intently into his eyes. After a moment passed without any reply, she looked back into the fire.

"And for making me realize that I'm still capable of loving," she continued. She didn't look at him, so she didn't see the confusion that ran across his face. He leaned back onto his elbows, assuming she was talking about Stan. He was partly right; Karen was slowly beginning to rediscover her love for her husband. But she knew this would never have been possible had she not fallen so deeply in love with Will.

She gasped as she made the realization.

"What?" he asked her, hearing her small exclamation.

"Oh…nothing," she told him quietly. She was glad the lighting was such that he wouldn't be able to see the flush rising in her cheeks. A strange tingle shot through her body before she shook her head, trying to knock the thought from her mind. She closed her eyes and tried to picture Stanley.

It was working until she suddenly felt Will's arm around her waist, his touch gentle and loving. A memory of their sweaty, naked bodies twisted together flashed across her mind. She opened her eyes and snuggled in closer to him.

In his mind, Will thanked Karen also. When he had first come to the Islands, he had thought that his desire to make everyone else happy was the root of his problems. He had figured the only way to solve this was to just do a 180 and be completely selfish for awhile. And he was completely selfish, for four long months. He left his friends and family without a word and he had only agreed to help Ben with the Walker, Inc. deal after giving him a staggering ultimatum. But worst of all, he had completely hogged Karen when she should have been trying to save her marriage.

But Karen had opened his eyes to so many things. Not only had he gained a truly wonderful friend in her, but he had seen what he could have become if he had strayed too far from himself in an attempt to get his life back on track. Unlike him, Karen _did_ put everyone else second, and look where it had landed her – with few true friends to speak of and a marriage on the verge of failing. Will had no regrets about being there for Karen while she tried to sort her life out, but he was glad she had been an example for him of how not to live. He understood now that he needed to strike a balance between their personalities to be truly happy. Maybe someday she would realize this too. He wished she would – more people needed to know the _true_ Karen Walker, the one that loved her husband so fiercely that she almost killed herself over him, the one that would bring Will breakfast in bed when he was hung over…the one he loved.

"What are you thinking about?" Karen asked, bringing Will out of his thoughts.

"A friend," he told her truthfully, rubbing his hand along her shoulder. "A very good friend."


	27. Chapter 27

"Rosario!" Karen yelled over her shoulder. "Where the hell's my drink?"

Rosie appeared at the kitchen door and walked out onto the garden patio, setting Karen's martini on the table in front of her.

"Here you go," she grunted, settling herself into the chair across from Karen. Karen took a sip.

"Oh hey, I don't think I ever thanked you for taking Will and I out on the boat," she told Rosario, who shrugged.

"It's no big deal," she replied, her accent snaking through the words. "You two sure looked like you were having fun." She raised her eyebrows at Karen, who smiled despite herself. "Maybe a little too much fun."

Karen set her drink down and stared Rosie down for a few seconds before speaking.

"I told you that was none of your business," she hissed. "And besides, nothing is going on anyway. I don't even like Will!" she finished. She knew that wasn't true and knew Rosario knew it too. Had she overreacted, considering there wasn't really anything to overreact about?

"But do you love him?" she asked, looking Karen straight in the eye. She loved times like this when she could take advantage of the friendship side of their relationship - dropping the "maid" title for a moment or two.

Karen's mouth fell open. She was shocked that Rosie would actually confront her about this issue.

"I love my husband!" she replied, as if this were a sufficient answer.

"I know," Rosario agreed, nodding. "But that's not what I asked."

Karen leaned forward in her chair, and the next time she spoke her voice was quiet yet frighteningly intense.

"I don't know what you _think_ is going on here, but you've crossed the line. This topic is off limits." Karen squinted her eyes at her maid threateningly. When Rosie didn't say anything, Karen sat back in her chair, satisfied. She stood to go into the kitchen.

"You're lying to yourself, Miss Karen," Rosie called to her. Karen stopped dead in her tracks but didn't turn to face her. "You two act like teenagers when you're together…you're so happy…I haven't seen you act that way since you first met Mr. Stan."

Karen continued into the kitchen, not wanting to hear any more of what Rosario had to say. She knew what she was saying was true, but Karen didn't want to face reality - or worse yet, her own true feelings.

"You should listen to me, lady! I've known you for fifteen years! I know what your love looks like," she heard Rosario finish yelling from outside. She closed the sliding door briskly. When she turned back around towards the kitchen, Will was standing four inches from her face. She jumped and shrieked in surprise.

"Whoa, whoa! Sorry," Will laughed as Karen slapped his arms.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" she chastised him.

"What's wrong with you?" Will asked, noticing how stressed Karen seemed. She stuck a piece of hair behind her ear and forced a smile. Being in his presence was already melting away the tension her previous conversation with Rosario had built up.

"Oh, nothing. I was just talking with Rosario and…something got lost in translation," she covered. Will jumped up onto the corner of the counter, dangling his legs against the cabinets below him.

"Come here," he commanded gently, motioning her to him. She obliged and when she was close enough, he turned her around and backed her towards him. She stood between his legs as he massaged her back, his strong hands evaporating the tension of her neck muscles.

"Mmm thanks, honey," Karen moaned, closing her eyes. Will smiled.

"So I just got off the phone with Grace," he told her, still kneading her upper back. She tucked her chin to her chest to allow him greater access to her muscles.

"And?"

"Apparently she's still seeing Ben _and_ Josh," Will told her. He frowned and continued speaking, thinking out loud. "I don't know…it sounds like she needs me."

Karen's eyes popped open as he said the words. She knew what was coming.

"I'm going home soon, Karen," he told her, his voice serious. His hands left her back. She turned to face him and took a step back from him. So he had already made up his mind. He hopped down from the counter and took her hands in his. Her eyes jumped around, not wanting to land on his, for fear that she might not be able to control the emotions stirred up by what she would see.

Karen panicked. Not knowing how to face this situation and feeling like suddenly everything was out of control, she let her instincts take over.

She smashed her lips against his, feeling adrenaline coursing through her veins as their skin made contact. Without even thinking she had thrown her arms around him and closed the space between them in one fluid motion – once again igniting a spark that could not be ignored. She felt his hands wrap around her waist and squeeze tightly for a fleeting second before he slid his hands up to her shoulders. He kept them there as he pulled his face away from hers. He frowned, his eyes searching her face for a moment before he sighed.

"Karen…" he spoke her name softly, gently. He shook his head slowly as his eyes left hers and when he spoke again, his voice was full of resignation.

"I can't do this. You're a friend…I'm gay," Will searched for the right words. "You are so beautiful…but I just don't feel that way about you."

Karen stared blankly back at him, not moving or speaking. She wasn't even sure she was breathing. God, how foolish she felt! Why would she have ever thought that Will could possibly feel about her the way she felt about him? She knew he was gay – of course she knew that, everyone did – but over the last 4 months they had grown so much closer, gotten to be so much more than just friends. Or at least she had thought so.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few silent seconds, Karen exhaled and forced a smile.

"Lord, Wilma, did you think I was going to propose or something?" she asked him sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I don't feel that way about you either," she stated matter-of-factly, as if it should have been obvious.

"Then why did you just kiss me?" he asked her, confused now.

"Well, honey, I mean we've always had a physical relationship…we were just having a good time and I thought we could have some fun, but if you're going to get all weird about it…" she explained. Karen was a quick cover when she needed to be. She had plenty of years' experience of hiding her feelings. This was a no-brainer.

"Right…" he agreed, but there was still an obvious confusion in his voice. She turned away from him, her throat tightening and the familiar sting of the formation of tears beginning behind her eyes.

"Listen, honey, just forget about it," she choked out, her back towards him. Will took a step towards her, his hand outstretched, but stopped himself before his skin made contact with hers. Without saying a word, he sighed, turned, and headed for the door.

Karen swallowed back her tears as she heard the sliding door moving on its tracks. She busied herself with the silverware drawer as Rosario entered the kitchen, apparently unaware of what had just happened.

Well, she had avoided the one topic she had been dreading - but knew it was only a matter of time until they would have to say their goodbyes and meet up again in Manhattan; their time on the Island just a shadow and a doubt in the normalcy of their word there.


	28. Chapter 28

"Damn it," Karen grunted as her fingers slipped off of the little white latch on the sliding door. It was a hard door to open when she could see what she was doing, let alone in only moonlight. She grasped the little knob one more time and pulled with all her might. Finally, the door slid open and she stepped out onto the balcony, the concrete cold beneath her bare feet.

She silently turned the corner and went to stand against the railing overlooking the ocean. She put the warm glass of her martini glass to her lips and took a long, controlled sip of the alcohol within it. Baby waves gently kissed and nudged the shiny black rocks several feet below her; the sea was calm tonight. Karen tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as she looked out over the water towards the glimmering lights of the main island. The villa was so quiet that she could hear the thumping bass of the music coming from a nightclub over there - probably the same one she and Will had snuck off to months ago.

Karen closed her eyes and sighed. A memory of Will's strong and soft hands caressing her hips flashed across her mind and Karen became lost in her thoughts and memories. She took a deep breath.

_Green eyes - heated breath - twin pulses - flashing lights - sting of vodka - puka shells - tanned skin - yellow taxi - hushed whispers - secrets shared- soft lips - passion. _

Goose bumps rose on Karen's arms as she shuddered and opened her eyes, taking another drink of her martini. Her eyes went out of focus as she watched the twinkling lights across the shore and she thought back to Rosie's words this morning. Did she love Will? Of course she did, she had known that for weeks now. But she had never allowed herself to actually think the words.

Karen's smile, remaining from her detailed memory of the night she spent with Will, quickly turned to a cringe. Here again, she was in the thick of a love that would never - _could_ never be. First of all, Will had just confirmed to her, not four hours ago, that he had no romantic interest in her. And secondly, and most importantly, there was Stan. Interestingly enough, Karen's newly-admitted feelings for Will were in no way affecting her still-strong love for her husband. Was this possible? Could you love two people at once, or was she just some sort of freak of nature - missing the monogamy gene?

But Karen had always been one to get what she wants - and what she wanted right now was Will. As if on cue, the sound of a door closing echoed across the courtyard to Karen's ear. She snapped her head in the direction it had come - a soft sound, but loud enough to be heard clearly in the dead silence of this night - and hurried to the other side of the balcony.

Her heart started beating faster as she narrowed her eyes to focus in on the little guesthouse across the courtyard. There were no lights on in the house, and she was beginning to think she had imagined the sound when a movement at the back of the house caught her eye. It was, of course, Will, and he looked like he was headed toward the beach.

Almost without thinking, Karen chugged the remainder of her drink and breezed back into the house. She pulled her sheer robe on over her silk nightgown and tip toed towards the door. She shut it softly behind her before creeping towards the stairs. When she got to the top of them, however, she paused and continued down the hallway. She stopped when she was in front of Stan's bedroom door, his loud and erratic snores echoing through the hall. His door was cracked just an inch, and she sighed as she pulled it all the way closed. She didn't really know what she was doing, but she was sure she didn't want to Stan to know.

The stairs creaked slightly as she flew down them, nearly tumbling to the bottom in the dark. Once she was safely on the first floor, her hand blindly grasped for the doorknob of the kitchen. She pushed it open and rushed out into the courtyard. Once she reached the far side of it, she paused and leaned against one of the stucco arches.

Karen tried to steady her breath and pulse as she gazed at the guesthouse, twenty feet in front of her. She still wasn't sure when Will was leaving the island, but she knew it was going to be sooner rather than later. She couldn't bear to imagine the little house empty, without Will's joyful spirit and passionate energy filling its four walls every night and morning. As she thought this, her eyes came to rest on the faded red hammock hanging between two beams on the porch. A random memory filled her mind; Will sitting on the flat part of the top of the wooden railing, his back resting against a beam that ran from the floor to the roof, and herself lounging in that hammock, looking up at him.

_"What did it feel like?"_

_Beat._

_"It hurt."_

_"What did he say?"_

_"He said it was my fault. That it never would have happened if I didn't drink so much. That if I could just change my behavior…that we'd all be so much better off."_

_"Do you think that's why?"_

_"I don't know…for long time there wasn't a clear answer - so I guess that's the one I've come to accept. But I stopped all that as soon as I thought I was pregnant, so maybe not."_

_"Do you still want kids?"_

_"Yes and no."_

_"How do you mean?"_

_"I would only want to make a baby with the right person…MY right person, you know?"_

_"You don't think Stan is the right person?"_

_"I'm not sure. He might be." Beat. "Do you think there's only one person out there for everybody, Will?"_

_"No…no, I don't think so. I think there are right people for right times, you know what I mean? I think people come into our lives for very specific reasons at very specific times…and you learn from that person, you grow from them - sometimes you grow with them, like me and Grace, for example - and then that's that. And you're the better for it, no matter what."_

Was it really possible that there were two right mean for her? And were they both on this very island right now? Had fate or some higher power or whatever it is somehow…overlapped the presence of these two men in her life that were supposed to _change _her life?

So here she was, presented with two options. One was behind her, upstairs in the third room on the left, sleeping peacefully beneath his satin sheets and probably dreaming of her. This was the man she had been in love with for years - the man she had sacrificed so much for and that she knew would do anything to keep her. Her other option was through the trees and down a little hill, probably curled up next to the tall palm tree in the middle of her favorite spot on this island. This man had gone from acquaintance to lifeline in a matter of months. He had been there for her, inexplicably and unfailingly through a difficult time in her life. He knew most of her secrets and was keeping them better than anyone else in her life could. He was the one that she knew she couldn't keep - that said he didn't want her, even though his actions said differently. He was the one that had saved her.

She turned and looked over her shoulder at the window to Stanley's room behind her. She looked back towards the guesthouse in front of her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. Her decision was made.

A smile played on her lips and a warm feeling began to spread through her lower stomach as Karen strode forward, toward the beach.


	29. Chapter 29

"Hi," Karen greeted him, breathlessly, quietly. She pulled her robe around her tighter, looking down at him, his back against the tree, his head leaned back against it so that his face was titled up towards her. His eyes were half-closed, and he closed them all the way when he spoke.

"I hoped you would come."

She frowned at him. He had calculated this?

"I couldn't sleep," she answered flatly. Will stood up and went to her.

"Me neither," he told her, looking down at her face, a foot from his. Will studied Karen's face carefully. He was truly perplexed by her. Any other woman would have been embarrassed after what had happened between them this afternoon, but Karen was defiant - persistent.

"You want to know a secret?" Will asked. She nodded.

"I'm a really good liar."

It was a simple statement, but the meaning behind it was powerful. Karen could tell he too had been thinking about what had happened between them this afternoon, and the words that had been spoken. She understood his meaning but didn't press the issue.

"Do you want to know my secret?" she asked him, a smile in her eyes.

"Yeah."

She took a step closer to him.

"I'm really good at seeing through people's lies."

Suddenly, like magnets, their arms were around each other, their lips locked in an intense and tight kiss. Karen pulled back.

"I thought you were gay," she breathed. He didn't answer immediately, just pulled her back to him for another passionate kiss. This time, when she parted her lips he took the opportunity to move his tongue into her mouth.

"And you're married," he stated after breaking their kiss. Karen gave a sly smile before re-attacking Will's mouth with her own.

Will's hands travelled up and down Karen's back as she tightened her grip around his waist and neck. Her fingers twisted around his hair as she felt the passion burst forth from within her.

He grabbed her firmly around the hips and pulled her down onto the sand with him. He laid her on her back and continued to kiss her as he leaned on one elbow over her warm body. Without breaking their kiss, Will reached down and pushed Karen's robe from her shoulders, exposing her soft, porcelain skin. As he bent his head down to kiss her neck and earlobe, Karen wrapped one leg around Will's hips, coaxing him between her legs. Since her mouth was no longer occupied, she took the opportunity to speak.

"We're friends…right?" she murmered. Will was extremely turned on by sexiness of her voice, raw with lust, and the idea that this was forbidden; wrong somehow. He looked up at her from where his face was between her cleavage and grinned.

"Just friends."


	30. Chapter 30

Will slowly awoke as the sun rose behind the trees, illuminating the water and beach before him. The water, which had been a deep onyx in the dead of the night, was slowly fading to a shimmering sapphire and the colorless sand was now a glowing white.

Will rolled onto his side, lining his eyes up with Karen's sleeping face beside him. She was curled up on her side, with her bottom arm fully extended to support her head. Her nightgown hugged her body, and Will studied the curve of her body as it rose and fell with each shallow, slow breath she took. Every once in awhile her eyelids twitched as she dreamt. She looked like an angel.

Karen didn't stir at all as Will gingerly reached one arm over her body to retrieve his pants that were crumpled in the sand on the other side of her. He paused before picking them up though, suddenly feeling the urge to touch her again - to feel her soft, warm skin under his palm. His outstretched hand hovered centimeters above the bare skin of her arm as he slowly followed the topography of her body; the valley of her waist, the hill of her hip…

She mumbled in her sleep, startling Will by suddenly turning over onto her other side, her back now towards him. Will didn't retract his hand, but instead wrapped it tenderly around her waist and pulled his own body next to hers. He nuzzled his face in her hair, taking in her sweet scent, trying to imprint the memory of them together. He knew this would be the last time that he would hold her in his arms like this.

With one hand, Will sweetly brushed her hair behind her shoulder as she slept peacefully, revealing to him her perfect neck and shoulder. He began to place tiny, soft kisses on her shoulder blade, then moved up to her neck, then down the inside of her shoulder.

Karen was semi-conscious now, but still extremely groggy. She was only half-aware of what was going on when she rolled onto her back to allow him access to her collar bone and jaw. She didn't open her eyes as his lips found hers, gently massaging them as she slipped back into her dream - which was, of course, about him. Will pulled away and smiled after she didn't respond, realizing she was still lost in her dreams.

She only groaned softly as he lifted her slightly to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to him. He tilted his face down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, and she instinctively snuggled into him.

"I love you, Will…"

Her words were soft, barely audible in fact, but Will froze when he heard them. He looked down towards her face - she was still sleeping. Why had she said that? Was she dreaming? Did she mean it? Will frowned as an overwhelming sadness overtook him. A single tear rolled off of Will's chin and landed softly on Karen's dark hair as he hugged her close for one last time. Then, without looking back, he retracted his arm and carefully retrieved his pants. He pulled them on, sighed, and walked back towards the guesthouse to pack his suitcase.


	31. Chapter 31

As soon as she opened her eyes and realized she was alone, Karen sat up and looked around for any sign of Will. What was going on here? Never before in her life had she been the one walked out on. Usually she was the one who woke first, pulled on her clothes and silently left, leaving her lover of the previous night to wake up alone and wondering where she had gone and if he would ever see her again.

Karen sighed. Will was nowhere on the beach. Based on where the sun was situated on this warm day, Karen figured it was about 7 or 8 in the morning. She stood and brushed the sand from her legs as she pulled her nightgown back down over them. Her robe was in a pile a few feet from the where her and Will's indents were still burned into the sand. She grabbed the robe and shook it out until her lacy thong fluttered to the sand. When it did, she hurriedly grabbed it and pulled it back on underneath the silk of her nightgown and threw the robe around her shoulders.

The sun was particularly hot today, and the heat from the sand radiated up onto her lower legs as Karen stormed towards the guesthouse to find Will. She got to the small, screen back door first and knocked furiously on it. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited. A minute passed and Karen grew confused when there was no answer. She took a couple of steps to her left towards the kitchen window, where the blinds were half way opened so she could see through the little slits. Nothing. It was completely dark, and there was no trace of Will.

In a huff, Karen went around to the front of the house and tried the door. She was surprised when it opened easily.

"Will?" she called as she enter, looking around. She went into the bathroom and flipped on the light. He wasn't there either - but it was then that she noticed that all of his belongings had been removed from the countertop. Frowning, she pushed open the purple shower curtain to reveal that his shower items were also gone.

Panic spread through Karen's body as she turned back to the bedroom. She flew to the closet and threw the doors open - empty. Without bothering to close them, she turned her focus to the bedside table where she knew Will kept his journal and "secret" stash of cigarettes. Her heart dropped as she pulled it open and realized it too was empty.

A strange mix of sadness and anger over took her. Simply due to pride, Karen was furious that Will had left her alone on the beach this morning after their night together. But she was also beginning to realize that Will was gone, and whatever it was that had brought them together last night was officially over. Karen scoffed. He could have at least had the decency to tell her he was leaving.

Lost in her thoughts, Karen moved back towards the porch. She leaned against the railing, racking her mind for anything she might have done to make him leave so suddenly. Her eye caught the hammock to the right of her and she laid down in it. She looked up - the tops of the palm trees above her were swaying lazily in the breeze. The smell of bacon wafted over from the kitchen.

Suddenly, Karen heard Will's voice coming from the house. She sat straight up in the hammock, listening harder to make sure it was really him. She heard it again, and she stood from the hammock and looked towards the courtyard and the house. She heard Stan's voice next, and her eye was drawn to his robed form coming out of the side door into the courtyard. She watched as he walked to the table in front of the kitchen and retrieved his morning paper.

"I'll be right there, Will," he called over his shoulder as she searched for the section of the news he was looking for. He found it and went back over to the door that would lead him into the wing of his house where his office was.

Relief washed over Karen. So he hadn't left yet - but he was going to, soon. She rushed down the steps of the porch and ran across the courtyard into the kitchen. She took the stairs to her bedroom two at a time - she didn't have much time to spare.


	32. Chapter 32

Sigh. _Last one. This is the last time I have to deal with this crap…and with Stan. And with this island…I can't wait to get home. I wonder if Karen's awake yet. Karen. She's going to be so pissed. It's just too much. It's so wrong. How did this happen? _Eyes open. _How can I do this to her? _

"Sorry about that," Stan interrupted Will's thoughts, settling himself on the other side of the mahogany desk from him, newspaper in hand. Will's eye wandered over Stan's hand and he was surprised to notice that he was no longer wearing his wedding band. Things must have been rough between him and Karen again. Yes, it was definitely time for Will to leave.

"Don't worry about it," Will responded, still staring at Stan's bare ring finger. As Stan realized where Will's attention was, he shifted nervously in his chair and quickly put his hands in his lap. He cleared his throat, drawing Will's eyes back to his.

"What is it you wanted to discuss?"

Will folded his hands on the desk in front of him and took a deep breath.

"I need to wrap this up, like, _today._"

Before Stan could question him, Karen appeared in the doorway. Stan looked in her direction over his shoulder when he saw Will's gaze drift to where she was standing. Neither of the men would ever have guessed that she had gotten ready in a matter of minutes - her hair and makeup were flawless and classic Karen, and she was wearing a perfectly pressed satin dress, its blue and green pattern bringing out the green in her hazel eyes.

"Karen, what are you doing here?" Stan asked her, turning his body to get a good look at her. "This is a business meeting, for Walker, Inc."

Karen pulled out the chair to Stan's left to sit in it. Her eyes, intense with emotion, didn't leave Will's face as she did so. The bright sunlight streaking in through the large windows of the room glinted off of Will's dark eyes. His eyebrows were pulled in ever-so-slightly, just barely enough for Karen to see the questioning in them.

Will was distraught - he had left Karen this morning thinking he could just run away from her, from this whole island, and not have to deal with anything until they ran into each other again in Manhattan. By then everything would have been back to normal, and their time together would have been a distant memory. But things hadn't worked out the way he had planned - she was suddenly here, sitting in front of him, looking beautiful and expecting answers. This was going to make leaving so much harder.

"I know that," Karen answered sharply, breaking her gaze with Will to look at her estranged husband. "I'm Mrs. Inc., I think I should know what's going on."

Her reason would have been perfectly sound except for the fact that Will and Stan both knew how little interest she took in the business affairs of her husband's company.

Stan just shrugged.

"So when's this going to be done?" Karen began, annoyance and anxiety written all over her face and wrought throughout her voice. "How long does it take to…"

She continued on, rambling on about anything and everything she could to try and calm her own nerves, as well as provide a valid excuse for why she felt it was necessary for her to be at this meeting. Will rubbed his eyes as she spoke, taking his face in his hands. He was just going to have to get this over with. He didn't like just leaving Stan hanging, but all of this emotional stuff was Karen was getting to be too much for him. His head was pounding from the sheer number of thoughts and emotions that were running through it - all fighting to be heard in his mind.

"Shut up," he mumbled, interrupting Karen mid-sentence.

"What?" she asked him, straightening up in her chair.

"_Shut UP,"_ he repeated, feigning extreme annoyance. "For four months I've been putting up with your - your yelling, your ranting, your barking drink orders at me - I'm not gonna do it anymore!" Karen shifted in her chair, her mouth hanging open. Why was he so upset with her? "I'm sick of this island, I'm sick of having more sand in my ass than Libya," Will took a breath to pause, placing both palms on the desk in front of him and leaning forward slightly, looking intently at Karen. "But mostly, I'm sick of you." He had told her he was good a lying, after all.

Karen sputtered, not knowing what to say. She looked up at him in confusion. This was killing Will on the inside, but he knew that for Karen's sake, and largely for Stan's sake, he had to do this. It was much easier for her to think he was leaving because he hated her rather than because he loved her so much.

"I must've been out of my mind to take this gig in the first place," Will muttered, slamming his laptop closed and throwing it into his briefcase. "Karen, I will see you back home, where I'm _actually_ needed."

Karen felt like he had just shot her with a flaming bullet. Where he was needed? He was needed here! With her! She needed him more than anyone she had ever needed in her life. And he was leaving. _Last chance, Karen._

"Hey - you walk out of here and you can say goodbye to making partner!"

Will stopped in the doorway and turned back towards them.

"Stanley, I'm sorry this didn't work out, but good luck and…damn, man, pull down that robe!"

And with that, he was gone.


	33. Chapter 33

A wave of nausea washed over Will as he caught his breath, leaning against the inside curve of an arch in the courtyard. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He tried to focus on Grace, on how she needed him so badly at home and how he felt like he was never there for her anymore. But try as he might, he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that he didn't want to be home - he wanted to be here, with Karen. But his rationality was getting the best of his emotions, and he knew that what he was doing was the right thing.

He reached down and picked up the suitcase and briefcase besides him, gripping one in each hand tightly. He walked towards the fountain in the middle of the courtyard to wait for the cab he had called an hour earlier. It was supposed to be there at 9:30 sharp.

He reached the fountain and sat down on the stone edge, doing his best not to let his eyes wander around the estate, fearing that Karen would suddenly appear and he would have to put on the whole painful charade all over again.

The soothing fountain trickled behind him and birds chirped in the bright sunlight. There seemed to be a disconnect between Will's mood and the beautiful weather of this day. He was disgusted with himself for the way he had just treated Karen - he could be a real bitch when he wanted to. Somehow, though, it all seemed to work out. This way, Stan's suspicions about him and Karen would be put to rest, and the two of them could go back to being hostile and cold to each other once they got back to New York. This affair couldn't continue there - or anywhere, really. Yes, this had to be done.

"Mr. Will?"

Rosario's gentle voice brought Will out of his thoughts. How did she always seem to know what was going on?

"Yes?" Will responded, standing.

"Your cab's here," she responded, standing a step or two outside of the sliding door to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Rosario," he replied, smoothing his shirt and grabbing his bags again.

"You're a fool for leaving, you know," Rosario stated, staring at him over the top of her green sunglasses. Will's emotions were so warn out that he didn't even pretend to be confused by the statement.

"I was a fool for staying so long," he replied curtly, before brushing past her and walking towards the arch at the front entry way to the estate.

The yellow cab squealed to a stop four feet in front of him and the driver got out to help Will put his bags in the trunk. As Will opened the door to get in, something compelled him to take one last look over his shoulder at the estate where he had spent four glorious months. His eye swept the courtyard and came to rest on Karen's balcony on the second story, the corner closest to him. Will was unsurprised but saddened to see Karen leaning against the railing, watching him intently. When she realized he had noticed her, her face turned hard as she tried to look angry and indignant.

Their eyes locked for a few fleeting seconds before Will, expressionless, turned back to the cab. He sat down on the hot, black leather seats and leaned his head back. He was going home.

On the balcony, Karen held herself together for as long as she could as she watched Will drive off. When she could no longer see the cab twisting down the private drive, she turned her back on him and slid down the railing to a seated position on the hard concrete. _Stay with me,_ she thought, pleading the words over and over in her mind, hoping in vain that her mental begging would turn that cab around and bring him back to her. Salty tears sprang forth from her eyes, leaving behind black mascara rivers on her cheeks.

_Secret,_ Will thought, as the cab crossed the bridge to the main island, _leaving this is the hardest thing I've ever done._


	34. Chapter 34

Will fidgeted next to Grace on the couch. The TLC medical trauma documentary they were watching was just barely holding his attention, although Grace was riveted to it. He sighed loudly and got up from the couch to walk over to the fridge and pull out a bottle of water. He needed something to keep him busy, to occupy his mind.

Sure, he was glad to be back in Manhattan. And yes, the time he had spent on the island had helped him clear his mind and re-evaluate his priorities. He had moved into his corner office that morning, listened to all Grace could think of to tell him about Ben and Josh, and gotten back into the swing of going to gym with Jack. But something was missing, and it was obvious to him what it was.

Will had been back in the city for a whole week, but still not heard anything from the Walkers. Karen hadn't been back to work, so he assumed they were still on the island.

"What's with you, Jumpy?" Grace asked from the couch, noticing Will's restlessness.

"Oh…nothing," he told her, pulling out a sauce pan from the cabinet above him.

"Really? Because you only make Ramen when something's bothering you," Grace countered, as Will opened a purple bag of pre-packaged noodles. He sighed and turned to face her.

"I guess I'm still just feeling a little bad about how I treated Karen," he admitted. Grace got up from the couch and went to him. She pulled him into a hug and gently rubbed his back.

"Well, then why don't you call her and apologize?"

He broke their hug and turned back to his Ramen as Grace continued to rub his back with one arm.

"No, I couldn't do that," he shook his head. "I wouldn't even know what to say to her."

"Well, just tell her the truth."

Will chuckled and shook his head. If only Grace knew just how _much_ he wanted to tell Karen…and what exactly it was he wanted to tell her. He wouldn't even know where to begin. And then, suddenly, he was struck with an idea. He slowly stirred the soggy noodles in the pan before him and turned his head towards Grace.

"Hey, do we have any stamps?"

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Karen swirled the toothpick sticking out of her martini absentmindedly. She pulled the last olive off of it and popped it into her mouth. As she chewed, she raised the glass to her lips and took a sip of the bitter gin. As the alcohol slid down her throat, she relished the familiar burning sensation. She licked her lips and looked at the clock. 2:30.

If Will had been there, she would have been down at the beach right now, lazing away the afternoon laughing with him and relaxing in the sand. But he wasn't there - he hadn't been for over a week - and she was left now with just Stanley and Rosario to keep her company. She spent most of her days sleeping and most of her nights drinking. She and Stan had been talking more lately, but she was losing motivation to make it work with him.

She wondered what Will was doing right now. They hadn't spoken since he had left. She knew eventually she and Stan would have to go back to New York, but she still wasn't ready to face Will. She had replayed their last night on the beach together over and over again, trying to figure out what it was that had caused his sudden change in attitude towards her. She was confused, but mostly hurt. Putting aside all else, they had become true friends while he was there, and she thought that their relationship was strong and special. It had turned out, however, that she lost his friendship just as quickly as she had gained it.

The sound of the kitchen door sliding open made Karen's head snap up. Rosario came through the doorway, carrying a pile of mail.

"Miss Karen, a package for you," Rosario announced, throwing a small manila envelope on to the table in front of Karen. She turned and headed back out into the garden.

"Thanks, Ro Ro," Karen called after her. Karen eyed the package curiously. It was small but thick, and there was no return address on it but Karen immediately recognized the neat and narrow slant of Will's handwriting.

Her heart pumped faster as she tore at the paper of the envelope, only opening it enough to allow for her hand to slide in and pull out the small, red leather-bound book; Will's journal. Karen frowned, wondering why Will had sent her this.

She flipped the cover open to the first page, dated one year prior. She began to read the entry but quickly lost interest, still not understanding why it was that Will wanted her to know the mundane events of his everyday life. She flipped through the first half of the book, but stopped when she got to a page about three fourths of the way through that had been dog-eared. She scanned the page and settled back into her chair as she began to read.


	35. Chapter 35

_Everything's so messed up. It's like I don't even know Grace anymore – since when has she dated two guys at once? And been ok with them dating other women? And why Ben? Couldn't she leave that part of my life alone? Work is like my sanctuary from the monotony of home life…I mean I love Grace, I do, but I have to get away from her every once in awhile. The office was my place to do that, and now she's dating my boss? My boss, who is forcing me to choose between my job and Jack. Jack, my best friend, or Karen, the bitchy woman I barely know, but whose husband happens to be Ducette & Stein's biggest client. To make matters worse, Alex dumped me tonight. My one shot I had with him, and I blew it. And why did I blow it? Because I was too busy taking care of everyone else in my life. I need some me time. I have to get out of here. I'm going to get out of here. End. _

Karen flipped through page after page of Will's chronicle of his time on the Islands. She read in detail about how he had come to work for Stan again, his first day at the villa, the night he had saved her from falling over the balcony. It was the first time she had gotten the whole story, from how Will had known she was up there to the way his stomach had knotted up when she pleaded with him to spend the night with her.

She was amazed by the detail with which he had written about her. The way he described her outfits, the way her body looked in them…he devoted two entire pages to an entry he wrote while he watched her nap in the afternoon sun on the beach one day. He described her lips, her eyelashes, the murmurs she let escape while she was dreaming. He wrote about her lovingly, in awe of her very existence.

Karen marked the page she was on and jumped up from the table. She ran the entire way down the little path to their spot on the beach, her heart filled with the memory of him. Foolishly, she was slightly disappointed when she reached the clearing and he of course wasn't there, but she was glad to remember she was holding his innermost thoughts in her hands as she threw herself down into the soft sand and began reading once more.

_I slept with Karen. I can't believe it. I know I had a few drinks, but I can't blame this on the alcohol. I knew exactly what I was doing and I remember every second of it. She's the second woman I've ever been with. It wasn't like having sex with Diane at all…in fact, I didn't have sex with Karen. I made love to her. What does this mean? I'm so confused. The rational part of my brain is telling me that this isn't right – that this shouldn't have even happened…but my heart is telling me otherwise. She's in my bathroom right now. She doesn't know I'm awake. I don't know what to say to her. I just want to hold her. _

Karen's eyes scanned the paragraph over and over again. Two tear drops fell onto the thin, off-white paper, smearing a couple of Will's words. Karen didn't care – his words were imprinted into her mind.

She read about the rest of Will's stay on the Islands, his final entry written from the plane, chronicling the fight they had right before he left and the guilt he felt about leaving without saying goodbye to her properly. Karen turned over this last page and found a folded up piece of paper resting in the back cover. She pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a letter, addressed to her.

_Karen – _

_By now you've read everything I needed for you to read, everything I wanted you to know. Please forgive me…for everything. I didn't mean what I said that day in the office…I do care about you. A lot. In fact, Kare, I was falling in love with you…and I know it doesn't seem to make sense, but that's why I had to leave. _

_Our time together was incredible. But this isn't who we are. You know as well as I do that we could never be together without turning our worlds upside down. Grace and Jack wouldn't understand, and I know you would agree that the risk of losing their friendships isn't worth a relationship that may or may not work out in the end. You are an extraordinary woman, and I do have feelings for you, but you're my exception. I am a gay man. That's too much of my identity to just switch off. And even if that weren't a factor, you're married. _

_I know things have been rough with you and Stan, but I also know how much you love him. I can see it on your face, Kare. And I think we both know he's done more than enough to prove to you that he loves you and that he's sorry. You belong together. You owe it to him and yourself to give him another chance. You can find happiness again. You WILL find happiness again. _

_When you come back to Manhattan, we will go on with our lives as though these four months hadn't happened. You will continue to call me names, and I'll keep making jokes about your drinking habits. You will put your wedding ring back on and I'll start dating again. But please call when you can. Visit my office when you think of it during your lunch breaks. We'll always have this. I'm always here if you need me. _

_The first night our lips ever touched, you asked me to save you. What you don't know is that you saved me, too. Thank you._

_Love always and forever, _

_ Will_

Karen pressed the letter to her heart and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened them again, folding up the letter in her hands and sticking it back into the pages of the journal. She turned to her left and dug out a deep hole in the sand next to the tree Will had loved to lean against as they spent their long hours together.

Once she was satisfied with the depth of her hole, she stuck the journal down into it and pushed the pile of sand back over it. Here, in their spot, was where their love would forever remain, on the pages of that journal.

She stood up, brushed her hands against her skirt to shake the sand off, and wiped the tears from her face. She hugged her arms to her chest and took slow, deep breaths as she looked out over the ocean, picturing the skyscrapers of Manhattan rising from the horizon. It was time to go home.

She took one last, long look at the little clearing in the trees on the edge of the beach. A smile played on her lips as the memories of glorious afternoons spent there with Will crept into her mind. As the sun began to set over the sparkling water, she turned her back on that spot for the last time and slowly walked back to the house.


	36. Epilogue

Karen looked up from the coffee pot as she heard the door to Grace's office open. When she saw it was Will, her stomach twisted into knots and her cheeks grew warm. It was the first time they had seen each other since she got back to the city. She looked back down at the coffee she was pouring into a blue ceramic mug, avoiding his gaze.

"Wilma," she greeted him.

"Cruella," he responded, brushing by her shoulder to stand next to Grace, who was leaning over her table comparing carpet samples.

"Hey," Grace mumbled, carefully eyeing a blue shag in her left hand.

"Ready for lunch?" Will asked her.

"Yeah, just about," she answered, putting the carpet square down and smiling at him. Just then, Karen appeared on her other side, her left hand outstretched, offering Grace the mug of coffee.

"Thanks," Grace mumbled, taking it from and putting to her lips. Mid-sip, Grace stopped and grabbed Karen's hand. "Hey, is that a new ring?" she asked her. Karen looked down at the replacement wedding ring on her hand.

"Yeah," she replied. "And you do _not_ want to know what I had to do to get it! Let's just say I definitely did not put the 'virgin' in 'Virgin Islands'," Karen stated. Grace released her hand and made a face.

"Ok, got it!" she exclaimed, exiting from between Karen and Will to get her coat and purse from the swatch room.

Karen stared at Will, who was also engrossed with her new wedding ring. He looked up and she caught his eye. She smiled at him and he nodded in understanding.

Grace re-emerged with her belongings, ending the silent conversation between them.

"Ready?" she asked, turning to Will.

"Yep." He nodded. Grace lead the way out the door, and as Will passed under the doorway, he turned back and placed a hand on the doorknob. Karen saw him watching her out of the corner of her eye, and she slowly turned her head to meet his gaze. He looked down at the floor, and then slowly looked back up at her, a smile that said so many things on his face. She matched his smile and silently blew him a kiss. He bowed his head slightly, and then pulled the door closed behind him as he went to catch up with Grace.

Karen sighed and walked back over to her desk. She settled herself in her old, familiar chair and pulled the newest issue of _Vogue_ out of her purse. She twisted the wedding ring on her finger with her thumb as her other hand flipped open the cover. The force with which she opened the magazine caused it to shift on her desktop, knocking into a red photo frame situated between her martini glass and pill box. Her eyes leveled with the photo of her and Stan, taken on their honeymoon, looking happier than ever. The same sparkle that had been in their eyes then was back now. Yes, all was right with the world once more.


End file.
